Washington DC [US], March 28 : Alarming reports are suggesting that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and a close affiliate of the Chinese Communist Party, is attempting to maintain control over the app in any forthcoming arrangement as the deadline for TikTok's potential sale or ban approaches, according to a report from the National Review (NR).
NR indicated that ByteDance has inundated the nation with TikTok advertising campaigns to sway public perception. These initiatives only intensify concerns regarding the genuine nature of TikTok's ongoing operations.
As per NR, this underscores the need for increased vigilance since ByteDance's dominance over TikTok has already posed risks to our national security. The regulations are clear: any agreement must remove Chinese influence and authority over the app to protect our interests.
"If ByteDance stays in control, we're looking at another underappreciated set of challenges: a future riddled with legal turmoil and investor lawsuits that would adversely affect US consumers and businesses while shackling American tech firms," Moolenaar stated as quoted by NR.
"To shield the American populace from the CCP, ByteDance must be completely divorced from TikTok," he further remarked.
NR reported that ByteDance is advocating for a licensing agreement and seems to be trying to retain its influence over TikTok.
This situation has a familiar ring to it in 2023, as NR highlighted that through the unsuccessful Project Texas, ByteDance attempted to create the illusion of enhanced data privacy by housing American data on US servers while maintaining its control over the platform.
"A deal that allows ByteDance to retain its control would not only fail to address national security issues but would also contravene the law. An arrangement that fails to comply with the requirements threatens national security and lays the groundwork for significant repercussions across the technology sector," Moolenaar noted.
An unfavorable deal would undermine the rule of law, create confusion, and diminish trust in our legal system. It would set a perilous precedent for CCP influence over US digital infrastructure, weaken Congress's authority, and open avenues for adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities within our tech ecosystem. Simply put, the stakes are extraordinarily high.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed in April 2024, mandates that ByteDance divest TikTok's US operations or face a ban.
The initial deadline for divestiture was January 19, 2025, but it was extended to April 5, 2025.
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