The United States government has threatened the Chinese company that owns TikTok with a national ban on the social network if it does not sell its shares in the popular application, according to several US media reports.
TikTok, whose parent company is Chinese technology company ByteDance, confirmed the information this Wednesday to The Wall Street Journal.
The US Foreign Investment Committee is the one that would have given the ultimatum to the owners of TikTok, according to the New York media outlet. The White House has not yet ruled on the matter.
The measure, the most forceful against the social network so far by the Joe Biden government, comes amid pressure from legislators to restrict the platform, which has more than 100 million users in the country.
Last week, General Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) expressed his concern about TikTok to the Senate Armed Services Committee. "for the information it has, its algorithm and its influence".
The administrative direction of the Congress has already banned the download and use of TikTok from all government mobile devices.
TikTok’s parent company is the Chinese technology company ByteDance, which some criticize for having ties to the Chinese Communist Party, although TikTok denies such allegations, assuring that it does not censor content or give the Chinese government access to its data.
The White House applauded a bill presented last week in Congress that empowers the Executive to prevent certain governments, including China, from exploiting technological services that operate in the country in a way that poses a risk.
Former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) tried to impose a veto on TikTok, but after a long legal battle it did not materialize.
TikTok has more than 100 million users in the US. and in a short time it has become one of the most popular social networks in the world, especially among teenagers.