A TikTok downplayed news that reported calls from the United States for the Chinese owners of the social network to sell the application's shares, saying that this does not help protect American national security.
The statement appeared on Wednesday, in response to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which pointed out that the US Foreign Investment Committee, of the Treasury Department, threatened to ban the application in the United States if it remains in the hands of the Chinese group ByteDance.
“If protecting national security is the goal, divestment does not solve the problem. A change of ownership will not impose any new restrictions on data flow or access,” said a TikTok spokeswoman.
"The best way to address concerns about national security is with transparent, US-based protection of US users' data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, verification and control, which we are already implementing," he added. Maureen Shanahan.
The WSJ quoted “anonymous persons familiar with the matter“. The Treasury Department and the White House National Security Council declined to comment.
In late February, the White House gave all federal agencies 30 days to eliminate TikTok from all government devices.
The White House Office of Management and Budget considered the directive a “critical step in addressing the risks presented by the application to sensitive government data".
Some government agencies, including the Departments of Defence, Homeland Security and State, have already implemented restrictions. TikTok, the international version of the Chinese app Douyin, is also no longer allowed on White House devices.
BUT: TikTok may be closer to being banned in the US
The US Congress passed a law in December that prohibits TikTok on government devices, except in certain cases, namely for national security, law enforcement and investigation purposes.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been moving forward with legislation that would give the Biden administration more power to impose more restrictions on TikTok.
Deputy Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has vehemently criticized the short video social network, arguing that it is used by the Chinese Communist Party to “manipulate and monitor users while devouring Americans’ data to be used in evil activities.”
TikTok is very popular in the United States, being used by two-thirds of teenagers in the country. However, there is growing concern that Beijing could hijack US users' data obtained through the app.
The company has already dismissed the application ban on federal devices and noted that it is developing data security and privacy plans as part of the Biden Administration's ongoing national security review.
