TikTok Seen Moving Toward US Security Deal but Hurdles Remain

National Security, Defense and Intelligence attorney Antonia Tzinova was quoted in a New York Times article about how the Biden Administration and TikTok have drafted a preliminary agreement to resolve national security concerns posed by the Chinese-owned video app. The article goes in-depth about the hurdles that this agreement faces, such as making changes to its data security governance without requiring its owner, Chinese internet giant BytDance, to sell it. It also covers the political and national scrutiny this deal may create for Biden and his administration with the midterm elections on the horizon. Ms. Tzinova focuses specifically on the precedent that this agreement will set with other foreign-owned apps in the U.S.

Any resolution on TikTok would also most likely “provide a blueprint” for handling similar cases in the future, she said, a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight who specializes in CFIUS and national security. “China is perceived as a threat, and Big Data, or data generally, is of particular concern.”

READ: TikTok Seen Moving Toward U.S. Security Deal, but Hurdles Remain (subscription required)