The recent news indicates that a TikTok ban in the United States, which has been discussed for some time, is closer than ever.
The Biden administration has threatened to outlaw the social media app if its Chinese investors do not sell their stock in the company, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to reports, the government is changing its position on the app as a result of mounting pressure from Congress and the general public, as well as worries about data privacy and national security.
According to the sources, the sale demand was recently made by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (Cfius), a multiagency federal task force that monitors risks to national security in international investments.
The spokesperson for TikTok, Brooke Oberwetter, responded to the news by stating that it would not address the concerns the government has about data privacy.
“Divestment doesn’t fix the problem if safeguarding national security is the goal: a change in ownership would not impose any additional limitations on data flows or access…
The transparent, American-based protection of American user data and systems, along with effective third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, are the best ways to resolve national security issues. We are already adopting these measures.
All U.S. client data will be stored in the U.S. as part of TikTok’s $1.5 security plan, which will also entrust U.S. giant Oracle with monitoring. That strategy is being criticized, though, as it continues to have Chinese ownership, which makes the business vulnerable to the Chinese government.
The release of today’s research comes only one week after Lawmakers unveiled a proposal for a law that would eventually outlaw TikTok countrywide. Recently, the social media app was outlawed in Canada for use on official computers. As TikTok introduces new features, it’s difficult to predict if users would actually use them.