The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the US government has ordered China-based ByteDance to sell its stake in the popular TikTok app or risk a countrywide ban, Entrepreneurng report.
Western nations, like the European Union and the United States, have been approaching the app with greater vigor due to concerns that user data may be utilized or abused by Chinese authorities.
After a Chinese spy balloon was shot down in US skies earlier this year, the level of worry in this area increased.
According to a statement from the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the White House last week applauded a bill that would have allowed President Joe Biden to outlaw TikTok.
Read Also: Inflation rises to 21.9%, private sector blames naira crisis
According to Sullivan, a bipartisan bill “would allow the United States government to ban specific foreign governments from utilizing digital services… in a way that poses hazards to Americans’ sensitive data and our national security.
The political backlash against TikTok, which is also the subject of a second piece of legislation in the US House of Representatives, gained more traction as a result of the Senate measure and the White House’s support.
Read Also: Honda to recall half a million vehicles due to fix seat belt problem
One of the few issues that has the potential for bipartisan support in both the Republican-controlled House and the Senate, where Biden’s Democratic Party maintains a majority, is seeming tough on China.
In the US, where it has become a cultural force, particularly among young people, TikTok claims to have more than 100 million users, out of a total user base of more than one billion.
A ban, according to activists, would be an assault on free speech and prevent TikTok members from throughout the world from absorbing American culture and values. In January, TikTok was forbidden for US government employees to download on their smartphones.
Read Also: New Update: Family Moans Aina Oreoluwa Juliana – Lagos Train Disaster
TikTok is not allowed on the phones of government employees in the European Union, Canada, or anywhere else for that matter.
The ultimatum to TikTok, according to the Journal report, came from the US agency in charge of determining the risks foreign investments pose to national security. Both US government representatives and TikTok declined to comment on the report.
TikTok has consistently insisted that it does not share user information with Chinese authorities and claims to have been collaborating with the US for almost two years to address national security issues.
According to market researcher Insider Intelligence, users now spend more time on TikTok than they do on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. It is also catching up to Netflix, the leader in streaming television as earlier reported by punchng.com/us-tells-china-based-company-to-sell-tiktok-share-or-face-ban/
Source: Punch
