TikTok downplayed news that calls from the United States for Chinese owners of the social network to sell shares in the application, saying it does not help protect US national security.
The statement came out Wednesday in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, which pointed out that the U.S. Foreign Investment Committee, of the Treasury Department, threatened to ban the application in the United States if it remains in the hands of by the Chinese group ByteDance.
“If protecting national security is the goal, divestment will not solve the problem. A change of ownership will not impose new restrictions on the flow or access to data.”said the TikTok spokeswoman.
“The best way to address national security concerns is with transparent, US-based protection of US users’ data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, verification, and auditing, which we are already implementing”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 remove TikTok from all government devices.
The White House Office of Management and Budget called the directive a “critical step in addressing the risks associated with sensitive government data.”
Some government agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, have already introduced restrictions. TikTok, the international version of the Chinese app Douyin, is also no longer allowed on White House devices.
The US Congress passed a law in December banning TikTok on government devices except in certain cases, namely for national security, law enforcement and investigative purposes.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have moved forward with legislation that would give the Biden administration more power to impose more restrictions on TikTok.
Representative Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has strongly criticized the short social video network, arguing that it is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to “manipulate and control users while devouring US data to become used in malicious activities”.
TikTok is very popular in the United States and is used by two-thirds of the country’s teens. However, there is a growing concern that Beijing could hijack US users’ data obtained through the app.
The company has already rejected the application ban on federal devices, noting that it is developing data security and privacy plans as part of the Biden administration’s ongoing national security review.
Source: DN
