CAPE CANAVERAL: The US government has advised China-based ByteDance to sell its portions in the blockbuster TikTok application or face a public boycott, the Money Road Diary covered Wednesday.
Due to concerns that user data could be misused by Chinese officials, Western powers, such as the European Union and the United States, have been taking a more severe stance toward the app.
After a Chinese spy balloon was shot down in US airspace earlier this year, the level of concern in this area increased.
In a statement, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that a bill that would allow President Joe Biden to ban TikTok was welcomed by the White House last week.
According to Sullivan, a bill that is supported by both parties "would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services... in a way that poses risks to Americans' sensitive data and our national security."
The political momentum against TikTok, which is also the subject of a separate piece of legislation in the US House of Representatives, was accelerated by the bill in the Senate and the backing of the White House.
Seeming extreme on China is one of the uncommon issues with potential for bipartisan help in both the conservative run House and the Senate, where Biden's Progressive faction holds a larger part.
TikTok asserts that it has more than a billion users worldwide, with over 100 million in the United States, where it has established itself as a cultural force, particularly among young people.
A ban, according to activists, would stifle the dissemination of American culture and values to TikTok users worldwide and be an attack on free speech.
In January, it was forbidden for employees of the US government to install TikTok on their devices.
TikTok cannot be installed on the mobile devices of Canadian and European Union officials.
The report in the Journal says that the US agency in charge of assessing the risks that foreign investments pose to national security gave TikTok an ultimatum.
Both TikTok and US officials declined to comment on the report.
TikTok has reliably denied offering information to Chinese authorities, and says it has been working with the US for almost two years to address public safety concerns.
According to market tracker Insider Intelligence, users spend more time on TikTok than they do on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and are getting closer to streaming television giant Netflix.
