US authorities press ByteDance to sell TikTok

The Biden administration is pressing ByteDance to sell TikTok. Otherwise the platform faces a ban in the United States, according to Reuters.

The new demand is a ‘serious blow’, according to a spokesman for the video service. He said the company had been in talks with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for more than two years about its future in the country.

Negotiations led to a broad partnership with Oracle and other steps aimed at protecting user data in the United States.

CFIUS has now told TikTok that ByteDance must still sell its stake in the company. If that does not happen, the app could face a nationwide ban.

The House of Representatives and the Senate recently introduced bills that would ease the government’s ability to ban the video service and other technologies deemed to threaten national security.

Earlier, Congress approved a ban on the app on government devices.

TikTok did not comment on the report. The company has previously said that exiting ByteDance would not address the government’s core concerns about data security.

This is not the first instance of U.S. pressure on ByteDance. Former President Donald Trump also tried to force TikTok to sell the U.S. part of the business, но безуспешно.

But the latest threats of a full ban on the app could intensify pressure on the company’s chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, who is due to testify before the U.S. Congress on March 23.

Earlier, in March 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill giving the president the authority to ban TikTok in the United States.

A few days later, a bipartisanship group of American senators introduced a similar initiative.

In December 2022, TikTok announced a increase in the transparency of its recommendation algorithms.