TikTok is on the clock. The Biden administration has warned the tech giant that it is facing a ban in the United States if its Chinese owners do not sell their stakes in the social media platforms.
The order was given by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), highlighting China and the social media app having nearly 100 million users in the United States.
CNN notes TikTok confirmed receiving the request but denied the possibility of providing details.
“If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem,” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said in a statement. “A change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access. The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated America has “failed to produce evidence that TikTok threatens US national security.”
In 2022, Congress and Joe Biden passed legislation blocking TikTok from US Government devices, which the European Union and Canada followed.
