The US government is trying to force ByteDance to sell TikTok

The United States is stepping up pressure on TikTok, once again trying to push ByteDance to sell its shares.

The Biden administration is stepping up pressure on ByteDance just days before its CEO testifies before Congress. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the US government is now “asking”ByteDance to sell TikTok.

US steps up pressure on TikTok

This new request, which TikTok confirmed to Reuters, is a major concern for the company at this stage, which has spent more than two years in negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in an attempt to secure its future in the US. These negotiations, in particular, led to a far-reaching partnership with Oracle and other measures aimed at protecting the data of US users.

Now, CFIUS has reportedly told TikTok that it wants ByteDance to sell its shares in the company. And if he decides not to comply with this request, the application will be subject to a national ban. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate recently introduced a bill that would allow officials to ban TikTok and other services that pose a threat to national security.

trying to once again push ByteDance to sell its shares

TikTok hasn’t spoken about this topic yet. However, the company has previously said that getting rid of ByteDance will not solve all of the government’s major data security concerns. That being said, Bloomberg reported a few days ago that TikTok executives were “discussing the possibility of parting ways with ByteDance” if talks with CFIUS fail.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the US government has tried to impose a hand on ByteDance. Former President Donald Trump also tried to get TikTok to sell itself but ultimately failed. However, the latest threats to ban the app outright are a good way to put pressure on TikTok CEO Show Zi Chu, who is due to give his first testimony before Congress next week.