On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the administration of the current US President (Joe Biden) had asked the Chinese owner of the short video service (Tik Tok) to withdraw its shares or face a possible US ban.
It would be the most dramatic move in a series of recent moves by US officials and lawmakers, who have raised concerns that US TikTok user data could be diverted to the Chinese government, noting that TikTok in the US exceeds 100 million users and any ban on an American would hurt it badly.
"Divestment is not an option if the goal is to protect national security. The change of ownership does not impose any new restrictions on flow or access to data," TikTok spokesman Brock Oberuter said in a statement to Reuters.
It is scheduled to appear CEO of the company (Zee Shaw) before the US Congress next week.
It is believed that any US ban faces significant legal hurdles. In 2020, the administration of former US President (Donald Trump) tried to ban the application, but it was blocked by a series of court rulings.
It is reported that TikTok has been negotiating data security requirements with the Committee on Foreign Investments led by the US Treasury for more than two years.
The company said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on stringent data security efforts and denied allegations of espionage.
The Wall Street Journal said that the US Committee on Foreign Investment recently submitted a sales request.
“The best way to address national security concerns is to transparently protect the data and systems of American users in the United States through robust third-party monitoring, screening, and verification,” TikTok said on Wednesday.