The Interplay between China’s Privacy Protection and a U.S. Citizenship Law: TikTok Is Not Necessary
TikTok is owned by a Chinese company with plans to get US user data even further out of reach from China-based employees. Many lawmakers have expressed concern that China’s national security law could compel ByteDance to hand over information on US users if they have access to it.
To be considered a foreign adversary country in the eyes of the president, other social media companies from those countries need to sever ties to operate in the US.
On Wednesday, ByteDance did not respond to a request for comment. TikTok, though, believes the goal of the bill is for the app to be banned.
The White House has long expressed concern about the national security risks of TikTok. The app was removed from government phones after Biden signed the bill.
But Jean-Pierre said the White House doesn’t see the bill as a ban on TikTok but rather ensuring its “ownership isn’t in the hands of those who may do us harm. “Obviously this is about our national security,” Jean-Pierre said.