TikTok confirmed to AFP on Wednesday (March 15) that the US government had recommended the app be sold by its owner, the Chinese ByteDance Group, as pressure mounted in the US against the popular platform.
According to the “Wall Street Journal” and other US newspapers, the White House has issued an ultimatum: if TikTok remains in the ByteDance fold, it will be banned in the United States.
sequel after announcement
Many Western lawmakers view the app as a threat to national security because of its ownership by a Chinese company.
Should we be afraid of TikTok?
In the United States, the shooting down of a supposed Chinese spy balloon in February led to renewed efforts in Congress to ban the entertaining short video service, which is accused of giving Beijing access to users’ data around the world, which it has always denied.
Selling doesn’t solve the problem.
The White House request comes from CFIUS, a government agency tasked with assessing the national security risks of any foreign investment.
The government and Treasury declined to comment.
sequel after announcement
“If the goal is to protect national security, then stripping does not solve the problem: (the fact that the application) changes ownership will not mean new restrictions on data flow or access.”A TikTok spokeswoman contacted by AFP responded.
In two or three years, there will be nothing left but TikTok
« La meilleure façon de répondre aux inquiétudes concernant la sécurité nationale c’est d’utiliser les systèmes américains de protection des données des utilisateurs du pays, avec un controle solide et des érifications par des tiers, ce que nous sommes déjà en train de mettre to his placeshe added.
TikTok, which has been doing its best to assure politicians and the public of its integrity, has been counting on CFIUS to find a middle ground.
Already banned to many officials
“The quickest and most effective way to address these concerns (…) is for CFIUS to adopt the proposed agreement that we have been working on with them for over two years.”a TikTok spokesperson said in late February. He was responding to consideration of a Republican-backed bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok entirely.
sequel after announcement
The White House has already banned officials of federal institutions from having the app on their smartphones, according to a law ratified in early January. The European Commission and the Canadian government recently made similar decisions about mobile phones for civil servants.
The United States, Canada, Europe… TikTok bans of Western officials are increasing
The company stores US user data on servers located in the country. It admitted that employees based in China had access to it, but within a strict and limited framework, not the Chinese government.
In the summer of 2020, former President Donald Trump signed several executive orders to try to block the platform or its purchase by a US company. “TikTok relives the epic 2019-2020”underlined by Dan Ives, of Widbush.
“in the middle of the ring”
As tensions between the US and China escalate, the app finds itself caught in the middle of the ring.Added the analyst in a note.
sequel after announcement
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The platform’s already huge popularity has exploded in favor of the pandemic, well beyond its original audience, teens.
The app has more than 100 million users in the United States. In recent years, it has overtaken YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook “past time” by American adults on every platform, and right now it’s hot on Netflix, according to Insider Intelligence.
The powerful American civil rights group the ACLU has opposed anti-TikTok bills in the name of freedom of expression.
