The Government of Joe Biden demanded that the Chinese owners of TikTok sell their shares in the popular social network to an American company, or the app that has 100 million users worldwide may face a possible ban in the United States
The apparent ultimatum, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, responds to an old fear in Washington: that the information of the users in this application can be given to the Chinese communist government.
The US wants to administer TikTok in its country
Biden’s pressure is a significant change in the position held by his Administration on the issue of TikTok and the threat from China. The White House has tried to negotiate an agreement with the social network that safeguards the information of its users.
The Chinese company ByteDance is the current owner of TikTok.
“If protecting national security is the goal, selling the shares does not solve the problem. The change of ownership does not impose new restrictions on the movement of information [sobre los usuarios] or access to it.” declared Maureen Shanahan, a spokeswoman for TikTok, quoted by The New York Times.
China ties
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew is expected to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce next week. Lawmakers are likely to probe into the social network’s ties to the Chinese communist government and its concerns that it sends harmful content to young people.
The fight for TikTok began during the Trump Administration, in 2020, when the then president demanded that ByteDance sell the shares to an American company at the risk of being banned in the US. if he refused.