TikTok on the Brink: Biden Administration Demands Sell-Off or Faces Total Ban in the U.S.

In the summer of 2020, the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the United States, citing national security concerns related to the app's Chinese ownership. The proposed ban was temporarily halted by a court order, but the Trump administration continued to pressure TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations.

After President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, his administration signaled that it would review the situation with TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps. In June 2021, the Biden administration revoked several Trump-era executive orders that aimed to ban TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps, but it also launched a broader review of U.S. policies related to data security and privacy.

According to a TikTok spokesperson, the Biden administration is now demanding that TikTok be sold to a U.S. company, or else face a potential ban in the United States. The spokesperson did not provide details on the administration's demands or timeline for action, but the statement suggests that the White House continues to view TikTok's Chinese ownership as a national security risk.

TikTok has been a lightning rod for controversy in the United States, with some lawmakers and security experts arguing that the app's Chinese ownership and data practices could give the Chinese government access to sensitive U.S. user data. TikTok has denied these allegations and has taken steps to distance itself from its Chinese parent company, including appointing a U.S.-based CEO and storing user data in the United States.

It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will proceed with regards to TikTok, but the statements from the TikTok spokesperson suggest that the U.S. government is still pursuing a tough approach to the app's Chinese ownership.