- Members of the U.S. government are reportedly debating whether to demand the sale of TikTok’s U.S. division.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that ongoing “security concerns” about TikTok were behind the idea.
- TikTok is working to “address all reasonable national security concerns,” a representative told Insider.
Some U.S. government officials are reportedly considering seeking a sale of TikTok’s U.S. unit to alleviate problems they’ve been working to address for years with the ByteDance-owned social media app. It is
Security officials who are members of the U.S. Foreign Investment Committee have considered such plans. The Wall Street Journal reportedA TikTok representative told Insider in a statement on Monday that the company has been working with the U.S. government for “more than two years to address all reasonable national security concerns regarding TikTok in the United States.”
“We believe these concerns can be fully resolved, and CFIUS is currently considering a comprehensive solution that addresses key concerns around corporate governance, content recommendation and moderation, and data security and access.
“We have made great progress implementing that solution over the past year and look forward to completing that work to address these concerns,” said Oberwetter.
Nonetheless, some U.S. officials believe the sale of TikTok’s U.S. unit would better address data security and potential propaganda directed at U.S. users of the app. , The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the talks.
A representative for CFIUS was not immediately reachable for comment on Monday.
China-based ByteDance said earlier this month that its own internal investigation showed that employees accessed data belonging to two journalists in the United States. The New York Times reported.
Congress is also pushing the issue, with the US Senate Vote early this month To prevent U.S. government employees from using apps on government-issued phones.
