TikTok continues to be in trouble in the US

TikTok, which has about 100 million users in the US, could be banned in the country. Most recently, the US government required TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, to sell its shares or face the risk of shutting down in the US.

According to CNN, this new directive comes from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US. This is considered an ultimatum from the US government, representing an escalation of pressure from Washington on the TikTok app due to national security concerns. More than two years ago, the administration of former President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok, now, the administration of President Joe Biden is doing the same.

According to CNBC, there are two concerns surrounding TikTok’s security risks. The first is the risk of leaking US user information and the second is who has access to sensitive information about the user.

TikTok reassures the US government that US users’ data is safe and secure. To prove it, TikTok’s parent company launched a $1.5 billion plan called Project Texas. Accordingly, TikTok will store US user data in a server managed by the US government.

However, according to Forbes, this project does not seem to convince the US government. Late last year, the US Congress began pushing for a complete ban on the app. Recently, it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice are also opening investigations related to TikTok.

Reuters reported that last month, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to completely remove TikTok from devices and federal systems. More than 30 US states have also banned employees from using TikTok on government-managed devices.

In addition to the US, Canada, UK, Belgium and the European Commission also announced a similar ban, that is, banning the installation of TikTok on government-owned devices.