The Biden administration has halted the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to investors to review the previous administration’s conclusions about the video-sharing app.
The Wall Street Journal initially reported that the proposed U.S. takeover of TikTok has been placed on hold “indefinitely.” Last year, the Trump administration brokered a deal with investors Oracle and Walmart to take over the ByteDance-owned app over security concerns.
“We plan to develop a comprehensive approach to securing U.S. data that addresses the full range of threats we face,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne. “This includes the risk posed by Chinese apps and other software that operate in the U.S. In the coming months, we expect to review specific cases in light of a comprehensive understanding of the risks we face.”
While President Joe Biden has said TikTok is an area of concern, he hasn’t said whether he would continue to try to ban TikTok or force the company to sell. Biden has so far taken a cautious approach in evaluating Trump’s China policies.
Last year, Donald Trump signed an executive order that sought to ban TikTok unless they sold U.S. operations after becoming concerned about its users’ data. But separate court rulings have blocked the U.S. government from shutting down TikTok. The election turmoil then overshadowed the issue.
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