The U.S. has declared that issues concerning TikTok have arisen, claiming that the app presents a national security risk. The Biden administration has proclaimed that TikTok’s owners must dispose of their investment, facing a possible prohibition from U.S. devices. The White House provided government agencies 30 days to guarantee that TikTok was not downloaded on official devices.  

 U.S. officials are alarmed by the possibility of TikTok’s U.S. user data being transferred to China’s government. According to Reuters, “ByteDance confirmed that 60% of its shares are owned by global investors, 20% by employees, and 20% by its founders.” China’s foreign ministry countered the accusation by stating that the United States has no evidence to conclude that TikTok is a national security threat. TikTok claims that it has exhausted $1.5 billion on precise data security endeavors, rejecting the allegations. 

 The White House’s skepticism emerged due to a law in China that urges firms to supply Beijing with information if they are inquired to by the government. “The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing,” states a TikTok spokesperson.

In June last year, the firm majorly transferred all of its U.S. user traffic to Oracle’s cloud. It has also been reported that TikTok is giving Oracle the capability to examine some of the app’s code. 

 Will TikTok be censored from all U.S. devices? The government’s next steps will answer this question.