App is threatened with blocking
China would rather shut down TikTok than leave it to the US
April 25, 2024, 9:48 p.m
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TikTok is currently having major problems in both the EU and the USA. In the USA there is even a threat of the platform being sold. But that is out of the question for the Chinese developer company ByteDance. If China doesn’t have control, then no one should.
Against the background of an impending TikTok ban in the USA, the parent company ByteDance would rather close the short video app than sell it, according to insiders. This applies when all legal remedies against a ban have been exhausted, said four people familiar with the matter. The sticking point is the company’s algorithm, which cannot be separated from ByteDance because of intellectual property rights. Along with user data and product management, this is one of the Chinese company’s most valuable assets.
ByteDance declined to comment, citing the company’s own media platform Toutiao. The company announced there that there were no plans to sell TikTok. This was preceded by a report on the tech platform “The Information”, according to which scenarios for a sale of TikTok’s US business without the video recommendation algorithm were being examined.
The USA had recently introduced a law that requires the Chinese TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell its US business within a year. Otherwise, access to the Internet platform, which is known for its dance videos, will be blocked. By signing the bill, US President Joe Biden set the deadline for January 19 – one day before his term in office could end.
Due to their proximity to the Chinese government, ByteDance and the app TikTok, which is particularly popular among young people, are suspected of espionage in numerous countries. Authorities fear that the People’s Republic can take control of users’ personal data and manipulate public opinion.
However, TikTok isn’t just having problems in the US. Under pressure from the European Union, TikTok temporarily suspended the TikTok Lite bonus program. The EU Commission saw this as having a high potential for addiction and then demanded a risk assessment – there was a risk of a ban. This voluntary measure now serves to buy time to address the authorities’ concerns.