BackUS treasury to advise Trump on TikTok this week, says Mnuchin
'TikTok is under CFIUS review. We will be making a recommendation to the president this week so we have lots of alternatives,' Steve Mnuchin said
PremiumUS treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Wednesday that TikTok was under a national security review and that his agency would make a recommendation to the president about the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app this week.
The comments marked the first time the US government has acknowledged that TikTok was under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which scrutinizes deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks and is led by Treasury.
“TikTok is under CFIUS review. We will be making a recommendation to the president this week so we have lots of alternatives," Mnuchin said.
Reuters reported in November that the app’s Chinese parent, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co was being probed by CFIUS over its $1 billion purchase of social media app Musical.ly, after lawmakers raised concerns over how it stores personal data as well as allegations of censorship.
A TikTok representative said the company could not comment on CFIUS matters, but added that TikTok was working to “develop a best-in-class security infrastructure" and promote a safe app experience.
The committee can force ByteDance to unwind the deal, or take other measures to mitigate the national security threat.
Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that ByteDance has received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them.
Some ByteDance investors are valuing the popular app at about $50 billion. reuters
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