TikTok Confirms It Offered U.S. Power To Shutdown Platform

UNITED STATES – TikTok disclosed offering the US government a “kill switch” to shut down its platform in a bid to address data protection and national security concerns.

The offer, made in 2022, was revealed as TikTok fights legislation mandating its sale unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests it.

TikTok and ByteDance argue the law undermines internet openness and unfairly targets their platform.

They claim the government halted negotiations despite their proposals, including a “National Security Agreement” outlining strict data protection measures.

The legal battle is set for oral arguments in September, with TikTok asserting its commitment to us user data security and condemning the ban as unconstitutional censorship.