NOT SO FUN

U.S. Opens National Security Investigation Into TikTok

The app’s China-based parent company reportedly did not request clearance from regulators prior to acquiring Musical.ly in 2017 for $1 billion.

The United States has opened an investigation into the video-sharing app TikTok, Reuters reports. The app’s parent company ByteDance acquired the music-video-making app Musical.ly in 2017 for $1 billion, and, according to Reuters, the Beijing-based tech company did not request clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for the transaction. TikTok has grown increasingly popular across the world, reaching 110 million downloads to date in the U.S. alone. But U.S. lawmakers have requested an investigation in recent months over concerns of potential political censorship and ByteDance’s handling of personal data.