The decision to ban TikTok, a popular social media platform with 170 million American users, has been driven by concerns related to national security raised by U.S. officials regarding the extent of influence the Chinese government wields over the company. TikTok is under the ownership of ByteDance, a global private company based in Beijing that was established by Chinese entrepreneurs. According to TikTok, approximately 60% of the parent company is owned by international institutional investors, while 20% is held by the company’s founders and another 20% is owned by employees.
In a recent update, a typographical error in the text has been corrected. The news regarding TikTok has been covered by a team of journalists including Jonathan Limehouse, Mike Snider, Greta Cross, Clare Mulroy, Maureen Groppe, and Rebecca Morin for USA TODAY.
This development has significant implications for TikTok users in the United States, as the app is set to become unavailable starting this Sunday due to an impending ban. The announcement serves as a warning from TikTok to its American user base regarding the potential disruption of service in light of the regulatory actions being taken.
