The chief security officer for TikTok U.S. will testify before a U.S. House committee on September 15, a congressional aide said on Tuesday, allowing lawmakers to ask about Chinese involvement in the short-video app.
Chief Security Officer Will Farrell, who oversees data privacy and cybersecurity, will appear before the U.S. House Select Committee on China.
This will be the first public testimony by a TikTok U.S. executive in the U.S. House since the company’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, finalized a deal in January to split the U.S. social media app from its global business.
ByteDance, which retains 19.9% of the U.S. operation, has disclosed few details about the deal, and a hearing will allow lawmakers to ask about U.S. President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the split.
A spokesperson for TikTok U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A 2024 law required ByteDance to sell the app or face its closure in the U.S. Lawmakers expressed concerns that the company’s management was beholden to the Chinese government, posing a national security risk.
Under the deal, control of TikTok’s U.S. operations transferred to an American-owned joint venture, known as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, this year to avoid a U.S. ban. The entity’s three managing investors are cloud-computing company Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab, private-equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX.
House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar said, opens new tab last year that he would host the leadership of the joint venture for a public hearing in 2026. A spokesperson for Moolenaar declined to comment on Farrell’s plan to testify. Adam Presser, who is the CEO of TikTok U.S., is not expected to appear in Congress on September 15.
