TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Tuesday despite reports suggesting the unprecedented partnership is “at a dead end” as lawmakers call for an outright ban on Chinese-owned apps. Instead, Oracle claimed it had already started reviewing the source code.
On the same day, Chu touted the progress of a closely scrutinized TikTok-Oracle deal known as “Project Texas.” reported information Oracle employees had “only limited access” to the source code and did not conduct a comprehensive review of the app’s security, he said.
“Oracle has started reviewing the code, but as you understand, this is a complex project and it will take time to finalize the details. So we are on track.” Chu said in an interview with Bloomberg. At the Qatar Economic Forum.
“Oracle and ourselves are working with the US government to finalize the details of Project Texas,” Chu added.
Chu said that as a solution to address the concerns of skeptical lawmakers that China has backdoor access through TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, Project Texas (Oracle to provide U.S. user data to It also demands to keep everything) has been repeatedly advertised.
TikTok has reportedly spent $1.5 billion over the past two years to implement the partnership.
“Project Texas” was central to the company’s defense during Mr. Chu’s controversial Capitol appearance in March.
But skepticism about the deal has grown in recent days.
last week, reported by Bloomberg The deal is “almost dead” and Oracle will handle source code reviews and submitted TikTok app store updates until it hears from the Biden administration that “Project Texas” is a project. He said he would not pursue key factors such as plans. enough safeguards.
“Project Texas is a very complex project and many elements of the project have already been prepared and operational,” Chu added. “For example, by default now, all US data is already stored in Oracle cloud services, Oracle cloud infrastructure, and is no longer stored on our own servers in Virginia and Singapore.”
A TikTok spokesperson also denied that the company’s partnership with Oracle was in jeopardy.
In a statement to the Post, the spokesman said, “The conversations with the federal government are ongoing and the reports that Project Texas is being delayed are wholly inaccurate.” “Many of the key components of Project He Texas are already live, and we will continue to bring more parts of this effort online in the coming weeks and months.”
TikTok’s chief executive also reiterated the frequent claim that the Chinese government “never actually requested US user data.” He added that TikTok “doesn’t provide it even if asked.”
“We will continue to invest in ensuring our data is as secure as possible,” Chu said.
The crackdown on TikTok is accelerating despite the company’s efforts.
TikTok filed a lawsuit this week to block the state of Montana’s decision to ban downloads of the app from next year.
The company claims the state ban is unconstitutional.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration reportedly warned ByteDance executives that TikTok would face a total ban in the U.S. if it didn’t sell its stake.
