Tiktok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. (Representative)
San Francisco, United States:
TikTok confirmed on Wednesday that US authorities have recommended separating the popular video-sharing app from its Chinese parent ByteDance in a bid to avoid a national ban.
Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, are taking an increasingly hardline approach to the app amid fears that user data could be used or misused by Chinese authorities.
“If the aim is to protect national security, then seeking a ban or divestment is unnecessary, as neither option addresses the wider industry issues of data access and transfer,” a TikTok spokesperson told AFP.
“We believe the best path to address concerns about national security is transparent, US-based security of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting and verification.”
The Wall Street Journal and other US news outlets reported on Wednesday that the White House has delivered an ultimatum: If TikTok remains part of ByteDance, it will be banned in the United States.
“It’s all a game of high stakes poker,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.
Washington is “clearly … putting more pressure on ByteDance to strategically sell this key asset in a major move that could have a significant impact,” he continued.
The White House welcomed a bill introduced in the US Senate last week that would allow President Joe Biden to ban TikTok.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement the bipartisan bill would “empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services … in a way that threatens Americans’ sensitive data and our national security.” poses a risk to.” statement.
The introduction of the bill and its quick White House support accelerated political momentum against TikTok, which is also the target of separate legislation in the US House of Representatives.
The issue is one of the rare issues likely to garner bipartisan support in both the Republican-run House and Senate, where Biden’s Democratic Party holds a majority.
Concerns grew among US officials earlier this year after a Chinese balloon, which Washington accused of being on a spying mission, flew into US airspace.
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TikTok claims it has more than a billion users worldwide, including more than 100 million in the United States, where it has become a cultural force, especially among young people.
Activists argue that the ban would be an assault on free speech, and prevent the export of American culture and values to TikTok users around the world.
In January, US government employees were banned from installing TikTok on their government-issued devices.
Civil servants in the European Union and Canada have also been barred from downloading the app on their work devices.
According to the Journal’s report, the ultimatum to TikTok was given by the US Interagency Board, which is charged with assessing the risks of foreign investment to national security.
US officials declined to comment on the report.
TikTok has consistently denied sharing data with Chinese authorities, and has said it has been working with US authorities for more than two years to address national security concerns.
According to market tracker Insider Intelligence, the time spent by users on TikTok has exceeded the time spent on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and television titan Netflix is closing in on streaming.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)