TikTok Security Dilemma Revives Push for U.S. Control

Author: Editors Desk Source: WSJ:

December 26, 2022 at 23:25

TikTok is used by more than 100 million Americans, and businesses see it as a way to connect with customers. PHOTO: MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES

Some Biden administration officials think TikTok will remain security risk as long as it is owned by Chinese company

Citing security concerns over TikTok, some Biden administration officials are pushing for a sale of the Chinese-owned company’s U.S. operations to ensure Beijing can’t harness the app for espionage and political influence, according to people familiar with the situation.

The proposal for a forced sale has arisen in discussions by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., an interagency government panel that has been negotiating with TikTok for more than two years on a way to wall off the company’s data and operations from the Chinese government, the people said.

Pentagon and Justice Department representatives on the panel are among those supporting a forced sale, the people said, citing the risk of Beijing accessing TikTok data or influencing the videos that Americans view on TikTok. They say these issues can only be addressed by separating the app from its Chinese owner, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.