US threatens TikTok ban if Chinese owners do not sell stake in video app, WSJ reports

The move would be the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by US officials who have raised fears that TikTok’s US user data could be passed on to China

The White House declined to comment. TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi is due to appear before the US Congress next week

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TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi. Photo: Getty Images / AFP

Published: 7:52am, 16 Mar 2023Updated: 3:41pm, 16 May 2023

The Biden administration has demanded TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stake in the popular video app or face a possible US ban, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The move would be the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by US officials and legislators who have raised fears that ByteDance-owned TikTok’s US user data could be passed on to China’s government. TikTok has more than 100 million US users.

The White House declined to comment.

TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement to Reuters that “if protecting national security is the objective, divestment does not solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access”.

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi is due to appear before the US Congress next week.

Any US ban would face significant legal hurdles. The Trump administration sought in 2020 to ban TikTok but was stymied by a series of court rulings.

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