The U.S. House of Representatives’ China Committee has summoned Amazon executives to testify in a closed session in the fall. The committee’s main agenda item will be Amazon’s commercial partnership with China-based TikTok.
Amazon to be questioned in the U.S. over TikTok partnership
The committee, tasked with investigating alleged national security risks posed by the Chinese government, has begun questioning the partnership between Amazon and TikTok. “We have conveyed to Amazon that it is dangerous and unwise to partner with this platform, given the national security threat posed by TikTok,” a spokesperson for the committee said.
The meeting came after Amazon and ByteDance’s TikTok announced a partnership that will allow users to shop on Amazon without leaving the app. The new partnership will allow TikTok users to purchase Amazon products directly from ads in the app and speed up shopping by linking their accounts.
This partnership gives Amazon access to TikTok’s Generation Z audience and its success in in-app shopping. It also gives TikTok the opportunity to strengthen its position in the US market ahead of a possible ban. According to the law signed by former President Biden, ByteDance must sell the platform’s US operations by January 19.
It is thought that this agreement between Amazon and TikTok was made to make it harder for the US to ban TikTok. Of course, the company also has similar agreements with other social media platforms such as Meta and Pinterest. It is even possible to say that Amazon Web Services works with US intelligence.
{{user}} {{datetime}}
{{text}}