The demand by the Biden administration that Chinese owners of the popular social media app TikTok sell their shares has sparked a debate over the potential security risks of the platform. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has argued that this wouldn't solve the government's security concerns, as the app is already planning to spend billions to store user data in the US. Despite this, the app has been banned on government devices in the US, UK, EU, and Canada, and attempted efforts by TikTok executives to allay security concerns have been unsuccessful.
Chew further stated that the app is not currently profitable due to the money spent on data sovereignty projects. This means that any sale of shares would be hard to justify.
The White House has yet to comment on the matter, leaving the debate unresolved. It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will continue to push for the sale of TikTok's Chinese shares, or if the security concerns can be addressed in another way.