The popular short video application, TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is under investigation by the FBI and the United States Department of Justice, after it was revealed that company employees had spied on the location of two American journalists. through the app. The company had already confirmed in December last year that it had fired four employees involved in this espionage scheme.
The scope of the investigation is still unclear, but ByteDance has received subpoenas from the US Department of Justice. The news comes at a time when ByteDance is facing mounting pressure to sell its stake in TikTok. The US authorities have threatened to ban the application in the country if ByteDance does not separate from it.
Spying on journalists through TikTok
In December 2022, ByteDance confirmed that it had fired four employees who had used TikTok to spy on the location of two American journalists. The employees reportedly used the app to track the location of the journalists, who had used TikTok to post videos from different locations.
News of the investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice comes at a time when ByteDance is already under pressure to sell its stake in TikTok. US authorities have threatened to ban the app in the country if ByteDance doesn’t part with it.
TikTok under pressure to sell
Pressure for ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok has intensified in recent months. In March 2023, the US government “demanded” ByteDance to sell TikTok, according to a Wall Street Journal report. These lawsuits are a blow to ByteDance, which has spent more than two years negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) about its future in the country.
ByteDance had reached a partnership agreement with Oracle and other measures aimed at protecting US user data. However, CFIUS has called on TikTok to sell its stake in the company after all. If you don’t, the app could face a nationwide ban. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have introduced bills that would make it easier for government officials to ban TikTok and other services deemed a threat to national security.
ByteDance and TikTok Division
Although ByteDance has previously claimed that the TikTok divestment would not address the US government’s data security concerns, Bloomberg has reported that TikTok executives were “discussing the possibility of separating from ByteDance” if talks with CFIUS failed.
This is not the first time that the US government has tried to force ByteDance’s hand. Former President Donald Trump also tried to force TikTok to be sold, but was unsuccessful.
The latest threats of an outright ban on the app are sure to add to the pressure on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is scheduled to make his first appearance before Congress next week.
The future of TikTok in the United States
The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain. As government pressure mounts for ByteDance to sell its stake in the app, the company has opted to fire employees involved in spying on journalists and has said it will cooperate with any official investigation. However, the issue of US user data security remains a major concern for authorities.
TikTok has faced criticism for its alleged surveillance and collection of user data, leading to speculation that the app could be sharing information with the Chinese government. The company has strongly denied these accusations and has ensured that it stores the data of its users outside of China.
The case of TikTok and ByteDance is an example of the growing tension between the United States and China in the realm of technology and national security. As the United States seeks to limit the influence of Chinese companies in its market, Chinese companies are struggling to maintain their footing in the world of technology.
The future of TikTok in the United States and ByteDance’s decision to sell or not its stake in the company will have important implications for the future of the relationship between the two countries in the field of technology and security. The situation also highlights the importance of user data protection and the need for proper regulation to ensure privacy and security online. And in Europe things are not going very wrong, by the way.
