TikTok is working to make a deal with regulators to leave the company under Chinese ownership and not be banned by the U.S.
Key Details
- Popular short-video app TikTok is trying to work with U.S. regulators to operate the business on U.S. terms but leave the company under the ownership of Chinese technology company ByteDance.
- In the three years it has risen to fame, TikTok says American users’ data cannot be accessed or manipulated by the Chinese government.
- The U.S. has recently been cracking down on China in a dispute over trade with the country, and many lawmakers are calling for changes to be made to TikTok to ensure U.S. security is not at risk.
Why it’s news
In the last few years, TikTok has exploded in the U.S., securing about 80 million active monthly users in America.
Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns about the safety of U.S. citizens’ data considering TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
Multiple states have banned the app on government electronic devices, citing security concerns over the app’s data collection and storage. In the federal government, both chambers of Congress have introduced legislation that would ban the app on national government devices.
Since TikTok has such a large American user base, the company has been working for years to assure the U.S. government that users’ information cannot be accessed by the Chinese government and has attempted to distance itself from China.
The company has difficulty removing itself from China and pleads with U.S. lawmakers to reach a security deal to ensure American safety while leaving TikTok under the ownership of Chinese technology company ByteDance.
TikTok has introduced Oracle to please the U.S. Oracle stores the app’s users’ data in the United States and implements a United States Data Security (USDS) division to oversee data protection and content moderation decisions.
Regardless of Oracle, lawmakers remain weary of making a security deal, saying that user data would still be vulnerable because to app would still rely on a Chinese company for its technology.
TikTok is trying all it can to please U.S. officials while remaining under Chinese control, but it is still unclear whether the Biden Administration will sign off or cut ties with TikTok.