US Government Pressures TikTok to Sell Stakes or Face Ban

TikTok has claimed that the Biden Administration has threatened to ban the app if its Chinese owners do not sell their stakes in the company. The app has been under scrutiny from lawmakers over concerns that the Chinese government could use it to gain access to private user data or spread misinformation. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. launched a national security review of the app in 2020. TikTok argues that a divestment wouldn't solve concerns over national security and that the best way to address these concerns is with transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems.