U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has stated that TikTok will cease operations in the United States if China does not approve a deal transferring control of the app to an American owner. The Chinese-owned short video platform is used by approximately 170 million Americans. This development follows ongoing negotiations under the Trump administration to address national security concerns related to foreign data access. In response, Democratic Senator Ed Markey introduced new legislation aimed at imposing national security safeguards to limit foreign data access by TikTok, potentially allowing the app to remain operational in the U.S. The situation underscores continued tensions between the U.S. and China regarding technology and data security.