The US authorities could be in a stronger authorized place if lawmakers ordered China’s ByteDance to divest TikTok, somewhat than merely banning the brief video app utilized by 170 million Individuals, the Justice Division informed Congress in a doc seen by Reuters.

Lawmakers and the Biden administration say TikTok poses huge nationwide safety dangers as a result of the Chinese language authorities might achieve entry to knowledge from thousands and thousands of American customers.

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The Justice Division gave a categorized briefing to members of the Home Power and Commerce Committee on Thursday earlier than the panel voted 50-0 on a invoice to present ByteDance six months to divest brief video app TikTok or face a US ban.

The briefing included the one-page unclassified doc seen by Reuters, which additionally mentioned TikTok poses “key nationwide safety issues” as a result of it “collects large quantities of delicate knowledge” and added Chinese language possession places “TikTok’s American customers in danger.”

The Justice Division doc, titled “Menace Posed by TikTok,” mentioned any invoice must separate the corporate from Beijing and its Chinese language-based dad or mum and {that a} divestment has key benefits over a ban.

Current legal guidelines “have limits that make it difficult to effectuate that separation and totally deal with the nationwide safety dangers,” the Justice Division doc mentioned.

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A previous try and ban TikTok by then President Donald Trump in late 2020 was blocked by the courts. “An orderly divestment of TikTok from (China) would give Individuals safe possession of their knowledge, together with posts, photographs and movies whereas minimizing the disruption to the over 100 million TikTok accounts in the USA,” the doc mentioned.

“Working via ByteDance, the PRC (Folks’s Republic of China) might use TikTok to entry knowledge on thousands and thousands of U.S. customers and management the software program on thousands and thousands of U.S. units,” it added.

Home Power and Commerce Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers cited the briefing as a key cause members supported the divestment invoice.

Rodgers mentioned the FBI, Justice Division and different businesses labored with the committee for months to offer help on a “focused particular method” to addressing issues. Deputy Lawyer Normal Lisa Monaco was instantly concerned in discussions with lawmakers, a supply mentioned.

TikTok, which says it has not and wouldn’t share U.S. consumer knowledge with the Chinese language authorities, mentioned on Thursday the “laws has a predetermined consequence: a complete ban of TikTok in the USA.”

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