The bill, signed by U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese investor. If this is not done within 12 months, the platform will lose access to hosting services in the USA, which means it will no longer be available in America. The US and other Western countries fear that China's communist authorities have access to data collected by TikTok.
Members of Congress and U.S. administration officials have repeatedly expressed sharp criticism and concerns about the app, which is popular among young Americans. The services also warned against the platform, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, who stated that it posed a threat to national security. He argued, among other things, that due to the virtually non-existent boundaries between business and authorities in the PRC, Chinese services may be able to obtain sensitive data about American users, manipulate the recommendation algorithm, which can be used to conduct influence operations, and potentially surveil devices which the application is installed.
The company denied these claims, arguing, among other things, ownership structure. He claims that the Chinese founders of ByteDance own 20 percent. shares, institutional investors, including American ones – 60 percent, and the remaining 20 percent belongs to employees around the world. However, the Chinese government, as recalled by the BBC, denied the truth of Western countries' fears, describing them as paranoid.
Although the United States previously managed to force the sale of shares by Chinese companies, according to the AP agency, the current situation is different because TikTok was created exclusively for the foreign market and is perceived as proof of the technological power of the PRC. (PAP)
