The Biden administration’s threat to ban TikTok: Here’s what you should know
LA TimesThe federal government is threatening a nationwide ban on TikTok if the company isn’t separated from its Chinese owners. A TikTok spokesperson has said a sale wouldn’t address national security concerns because it wouldn’t put any new restrictions around access to the app’s data. Without regular privacy and security updates, the app would become “a great target for people looking to exploit out-of-date software,” she said, adding, “It creates this other kind of vulnerability that would be affecting millions of people, including a lot of young people.” If the government formally outlawed TikTok, network operators could conceivably block traffic between the company’s servers and U.S. users. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a thing.” Business Biden administration backs new bill that could ban TikTok White House backs bill that would give Biden the authority to force the sale of foreign-owned technologies like TikTok on national security grounds. Not only could China’s government tap into the data TikTok already collects, critics say, it could force the app to collect additional information purely for the government’s purposes.