Riaan 
I-TikTok isinezingxoxo ne-CFIUS iminyaka engaphezu kwemibili. Njengoba uhlelo lokusebenza seludlondlobele ekudumeni ngaleso sikhathi, kanjalo nokukhathazeka kwabenzi benqubomgomo ukuthi kungase kusetshenziswe kabi ukuveza idatha ebucayi yabantu baseMelika noma ukusabalalisa inkulumo-ze.
Izinkinga zezepolitiki zakwaTikTok ziyanda eWashington ngesonto ngaphambi kokuthi isikhulu senkampani uShou Zi Chew azofakaza eCapitol Hill. I-Chew kulindeleke ukuthi ibe isikhwama sepolitiki njengoba abenzi bomthetho bamaqembu womabili behlaba umkhosi mayelana nezingozi ezicatshangwayo zokuphepha ezethulwa uhlelo lokusebenza futhi ziya ngokuya zifuna ukuvinjelwa kwe-TikTok.
Esontweni eledlule, i-White House yagunyaza umthethosivivinywa we-bipartisan ozonikeza iziphathimandla ezibanzi zoMnyango Wezohwebo ukuthi zivimbele noma zikhawulele i-TikTok nezinye izinhlelo zokusebenza zobuchwepheshe ezigxile emazweni angaphandle. Kodwa-ke, imizamo yokuvimbela uhlelo lokusebenza olusetshenziswa abantu abangaphezu kwezigidi eziyi-100 e-United States nayo ingase ihambisane neSichibiyelo Sokuqala.
I-TikTok ikuqinisekisile ukuthi ixhumana ne-CFIUS, kodwa bekungakabi khona isincomo esicacile sokuthi ukuhlukaniswa kwabanikazi bohlelo lokusebenza baseShayina kuzobukeka kanjani ekusebenzeni.
“Uma ukuvikela ukuphepha kwezwe kuyinhloso, ukuhlukaniswa kwezimali akuyixazululi inkinga: Ushintsho kubunikazi ngeke lubeke imingcele emisha ekuhambeni noma ekufinyeleleni kwedatha,” kusho uBrooke Oberwetter, okhulumela iTikTok. “Indlela engcono kakhulu yokubhekana nokukhathazeka ngokuvikeleka kwezwe ukuvikela okusobala, okusekelwe e-US kwedatha nezinhlelo zabasebenzisi base-US, ngokuqapha okuqinile okuvela eceleni, ukuhlola nokuqinisekisa, esesivele sikusebenzisa.”
U-Oberwetter uthe inkampani iphoxekile ngomkhombandlela we-CFIUS kulandela imizamo engaphezu kweminyaka emibili yokwenza uhlelo lokuhlela kabusha indlela inkampani ephatha ngayo imininingwane yabantu baseMelika. Le nkampani inabanikazi abangewona amaShayina, ngakho-ke akukacaci ukuthi i-divestiture order izosebenza kanjani ngobuchwepheshe, kusho yena.
I-White House National Security Council kanye noMnyango Wezezimali wenqabile ukuphawula. Izikhulu ze-CFIUS azizange ziphendule izicelo zokuphawula. I-Wall Street Journal kubikwe kuqala ngesiphakamiso se-CFIUS.
U-Eric Sayers, ongahlali e-American Enterprise Institute, uthe uhulumeni udale ngempumelelo izindlela ezimbili ze-TikTok: Ukuhlukanisa noma ukubhekana nomthetho we-bipartisan, obizwa ngokuthi Ukuvimbela Ukuvela Kwezinsongo Zezokuphepha Ezithi Risk Information and Communications Technology Act. Zombili zingaholela kumphumela ofanayo wokuphoqa ababambiqhaza baseChina ukuthi badayise amasheya abo enkampanini.
“Lokhu kukhombisa amaRiphabhlikhi amadolonzima e-Hill ukuthi uhulumeni uzimisele ngokuhlehlisa futhi wenza amathuba okuthi RESTRICT adlule ngokushesha okukhulu,” kusho uSayers.
Abantu ababili abanolwazi ngalezi zingxoxo bathi uMnyango Wezobulungiswa ubukade umelane nanoma iyiphi inketho yokuthengisa ngempoqo. IPhini loMmeli Jikelele uLisa Monaco uthe ku-a isitatimende ngesonto eledlule ngemva kokumenyezelwa koMthetho WE-RESTRICT wokuthi i-United States ibhekene “nezinsongo zesistimu ezivela kuhlu lwemikhiqizo yobuchwepheshe nezinsizakalo ezitholakala ezitheni zakwamanye amazwe.”
Lesi simo siwabulala ngempumelelo amathuba e-TikTok okuwina imvume yeProjekthi Texas, isiphakamiso sokuhlela kabusha esingu-$1.5 billion esichithe iminyaka sisenza ngethemba lokunciphisa izinkinga zokuphepha kazwelonke zase-US. Lolu hlelo ngabe lubeke i-TikTok ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukahulumeni okuseduze kunanoma iyiphi inkampani yenkundla yezokuxhumana yase-US eyake yabhekana nayo, okuhlanganisa nezinyathelo zokuvikela umuntu wesithathu nokubuyekezwa kwedatha nekhodi yohlelo lokusebenza.
Ngaphansi kwesivumelwano, ukusebenza kwe-TikTok e-US bekuzohlanganiswa kube inkampani ephethwe yibhodi labaqondisi eligunyazwe yi-CFIUS, nakuba i-ByteDance ibizohlala ingumnikazi wokugcina. Izikhulu zeTikTok zathi ziphakamise isivumelwano sokugcina neCFIUS ngo-Agasti. Izikhulu zoMnyango wezoBulungiswa kanye noMgcinimafa bezingaqiniseki ukuthi kuzokwanela, ngokusho kwabantu ababili abazazi kahle izingxoxo.
U-Oberwetter uthe inkampani iyaqhubeka nokuqhubekela phambili nezinhlelo zayo zokuphepha, okuhlanganisa i-Project Texas. Le nkampani iphinde yamemezela enye iphrojekthi yokuvikela idatha yase-Europe, ebizwa ngeProjekthi Clover.
Ukuma kukahulumeni kuza ngemuva kweminyaka emithathu abaphathi bakaTrump bephoqe ukuthi bavimbe lolu hlelo lokusebenza noma bazithengise enkampanini yaseMelika, uMnyango Wezezimali wase-US uqoqe ingxenye “enkulu kakhulu” yemali etholakele. Uhulumeni waseShayina uphendule ngalowo nyaka ngokwengeza ama-algorithms wokuncoma afana nalawo asetshenziswa yi-TikTok ohlwini lwayo lokulawula ukuthekelisa, ukuvimba ngempumelelo ukuthengiswa.
I-divestiture order ingase idinge imvume yezikhulu zaseShayina, futhi uhulumeni waseBeijing akazange anikeze inkomba yokuthi isimo sakhe sesishintshile kulokho akugxeka njengobuxhwanguxhwangu base-US.
Umzamo wokukhipha imali ngenkani nawo uzobhekana nengalo yomthetho yakwa-ByteDance, eyasungulwa osomabhizinisi baseShayina futhi ethi ayiphethwe noma ayilawulwa yinoma iyiphi inhlangano kahulumeni. Cishe amaphesenti angama-60 amasheya e-ByteDance aphethwe abatshalizimali bezikhungo, okuhlanganisa nezikhondlakhondla zokutshala izimali zaseMelika iBlackRock, iGeneral Atlantic kanye neSequoia. Izisebenzi zenkampani, kuhlanganise nezinkulungwane zase-United States, zinamaphesenti angu-20. Amaphesenti angu-20 asele aphethwe abasunguli be-ByteDance, nakuba begcina isigxobo esikhulu sokuvota.
Umzamo wokuvinjelwa kwabaphathi bakaTrump ubhidlike enkantolo ngemuva kokuthi amajaji ombuso ekhiphe isinqumo sokuthi uhulumeni akazange anikeze ubufakazi bokulimala kwe-TikTok nokuthi lesi sinyathelo singaphula amalungelo abantu baseMelika okukhuluma ngokukhululeka.
Izikhulu ze-ByteDance kanye ne-TikTok ezinyangeni ezisanda kwedlula ziqale ukunikeza izithangami kubenzi bomthetho, abacwaningi kanye nezintatheli ngemizamo yeProjekthi yaseTexas. Izikhulu ze-ByteDance e-China ziye zanda ngokucela inkampani ukuthi ikhulume ngokuqhubekayo ukuze izivikele ngemva kwezinyanga lapho benethemba lokuthi inqubo ye-CFIUS izophetha ngemvume ye-Project Texas, ngokusho kwabantu ababili abalaziyo isu labo.
UChew futhi emasontweni asanda kwedlula wenze imihlangano yangasese nabenzi bomthetho ukuze baphikisane ekuzivikeleni kwenkampani, okuhlanganisa nokuzibophezela kwayo ekuvikeleni idatha yabasebenzisi baseMelika kanye nokuzimela kwayo kuhulumeni waseChina.
