The battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok came into full view on Thursday when the social media platform’s CEO testified before Congressional lawmakers.

Shou Zi Chew’s hearing in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is happening at what he’s called a “pivotal moment” for the hugely popular short video sharing app. TikTok is owned by parent company ByteDance, which has offices in Beijing. The platform has 150 million American users but it’s been dogged by persistent claims that it threatens national security and user privacy, or could be used to promote pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation.

Chew attempted to persuade lawmakers not to pursue a ban on the app or force its sale to new owners.

So are the data security risks real? And should users be worried that the TikTok app will be wiped off their phones?

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK?
Both the FBI and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government.