WASHINGTON – TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi sought to protect his company from a potential United States ban or forced sale during a 4½-hour congressional hearing on Thursday that rarely deviated from the hostile note on which it began.

“Your platform should be banned,” Energy and Commerce Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said at the opening. “I expect today you’ll say anything to avoid this outcome.”

Ms Rodgers made a point of telling Mr Chew he was under oath and obligated to tell the truth. Other lawmakers repeated that warning during the long-awaited hearing on Thursday, underscoring how little trust there was between the panel and its witness.

While that made for a one-note performance, there were several memorable moments:

1. China made its stance clear beforehand 

The most important developments may have happened before the hearing. During a press briefing in Beijing on the eve of the hearing, Commerce Ministry spokesman Shu Jueting said China’s government would have to approve any sale to a US entity. That statement undermined whatever assurances Mr Chew might have been able to give about how the platform secures US data.

It also added rocket fuel to attacks on the platform by lawmakers, who were already set to excoriate Mr Chew and his company for concerns over data security and content moderation policies, as well as the effect of the app on the 150 million people in the US who use it for more than 1½ hours a day on average.

2. Chew stumbles while playing defence 

Mr Chew did a credible job of defending himself and his app in front of a room of largely hostile lawmakers who were intent on questioning his every word, even preventing him from responding in multiple instances. But the executive’s attempted assurances on data security failed to sway members, especially as he gave non-committal responses to their chief concerns.

Representative Neal Dunn, a Republican from Florida, asked whether Bytedance, TikTok’s parent, has “spied on American citizens?”

“I don’t think that spying is the right way to describe it,” Mr Chew said at one point, before answering another question on China’s ability to access US data with, “Not to my knowledge”.

3. Lawmakers piling on could signal trouble

Key statements came from people who were not even in the room. Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, took aim at Mr Chew’s alleged “lies and omissions” and said momentum to ban TikTok “is growing”.

Representative Michael McCaul said Mr Chew’s testimony proved that TikTok needed to be sold or banned. The Texas Republican chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation that would ban the app or force it to be sold.

Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, said Mr Chew failed to assuage his concerns during a meeting.

“We would characterise today’s testimony by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in the Beltway as a ‘disaster’ moment that will likely catalyse more calls by lawmakers and the White House to look to ban TikTok within the US if the company does not look to spin-off and force a sale from Chinese parent ByteDance,” Mr Dan Ives of investment firm Wedbush Securities said in a note.

4. Suicide focus leads to tense moment

TikTok’s popularity among young people (and voters) prompted concerned questions about its content moderation policies, including whether TikTok’s powerful algorithm serves up harmful content to people who may be dealing with addictions or contemplating suicide.

Maryland Democrat John Sarbanes said young brains are not fully developed and are no match for TikTok’s technology. 

“It’s not a fair fight, the algorithms are on one side of the screen and human brains are on the other side of the screen,” he said. 

Florida Republican Gus Bilirakis played a compilation of TikTok videos about suicide, complete with dramatic music over the room’s speakers, and pressed Mr Chew on whether he had any control over the algorithm.

Mr Chew later told the committee he does not let his children use TikTok.  “My kids live in Singapore and, in Singapore, we do not have the under-13 experience,” he said.

5. Chew says TikTok unfairly targeted

Mr Chew defended TikTok as no different than the other social media giants, saying his company has sought to put even stronger safeguards in place than its competitors due to the intense scrutiny. Lawmakers did not seem to buy that argument, citing TikTok’s huge growth in the US.

“A US TikTok ban would benefit YouTube, Instagram and Snap, likely resulting in higher revenue share of the total advertising wallet,” said Mr Emile El Nems, vice-president, senior credit officer at Moody’s investors service.

“Given the revenue scale of YouTube and Instagram, the TikTok ban creates a smaller revenue opportunity, but it could be materially positive for Snap.” BLOOMBERG