TikTok's US Monthly Active Users Surge by 50 Million in 3 Years Despite Biden's Pressure

TikTok CEO Scheduled to Testify Before Congress on the 23rd
Emphasizes Strengthening US Privacy and Surveillance Systems

The number of monthly active users of the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok in the United States has increased by 50 million over three years to reach 150 million. Attention is focused on how the growth in TikTok users will impact the situation as the Biden administration in the U.S. is considering a complete ban on TikTok usage in the country citing national security concerns.

According to NBC News and others on the 20th (local time), TikTok announced that ahead of CEO Shou Zi Chu's scheduled appearance at a U.S. congressional hearing on the 23rd, the number of active users in the U.S. has risen from 100 million in 2020 to 150 million currently.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, in September 2021, TikTok announced that its monthly active users worldwide had surpassed 1 billion across more than 150 countries. Looking at TikTok users in the U.S. by age group, teenagers and people in their 20s each account for about 30%, those in their 30s make up 16%, and those in their 40s about 14%. The gender ratio is 60% female and 40% male.

NBC pointed out, "This means that over the three years during which U.S. political circles have been considering how to control this application (app) under two presidential administrations, TikTok's foothold in the U.S. has become even stronger."

U.S. political circles have expressed concerns about TikTok holding vast amounts of data on 150 million Americans. They worry that TikTok could hand over the data collected on Americans to the Chinese government, and that the Chinese Communist Party's ideology could be spread within the U.S. through TikTok.

In this context, the Biden administration has been seeking ways to control TikTok. Initially, the Biden administration negotiated with TikTok for over two years to secure the safety of American users' data, but discussions stalled for several months without progress. Recently, the administration notified TikTok that unless CEO Chu, the company's recent founder, sells all his shares, TikTok's use in the U.S. would be completely banned.

TikTok, considering the U.S. a major market, has taken the stance that it cannot shut down its business and is trying to respond faithfully to the demands of U.S. political circles. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 16th, CEO Chu said that by cooperating with the American company Oracle, they will prevent the leakage of American users' data, adding, "If there are (security) threats that cannot be resolved even with cooperation with Oracle, please provide feedback. We welcome it."

TikTok has proposed spending $1.5 billion to transfer servers containing American user data to Oracle's data centers and to introduce monitoring systems. It also plans to disclose the content recommendation and deletion algorithms within TikTok and create a system to oversee them.

On the same day, three days before the hearing, TikTok placed advertisements in The New York Times (NYT) and The Washington Post (WP) with the theme "Safety, Privacy, Your Priorities, Our Commitment," Bloomberg reported, indicating efforts to influence public opinion.

Creators and activists who rely on TikTok as their main source of livelihood are also expected to hold a press conference in front of the U.S. Congress on the 22nd, a day before CEO Chu's testimony, NBC reported. The IT media outlet The Information recently reported that TikTok has asked creators to step forward directly.