By Spy Uganda Correspondent
The US government has demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their shares or face a potential ban on the app in America.
The news emerged on Wednesday that the Biden administration was taking dramatic steps to potentially block the video-sharing app in the US amid fears of its user data being shared with the Chinese government.
In 2020, Donald Trump was impeded by US courts when he tried to ban TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
TikTok, which has more than 100 million US users, has already been stifled by the White House after it ordered government agencies to delete the app on federal devices and systems.
China denounced the US over its TikTok bans, saying it has been “abusing state power”.
Some are suggesting a nationwide ban, as Republicans and Democrats joined forces late last year to unveil bipartisan legislation that would enforce such an option.
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter confirmed the possible ban but said: “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.”
