In response to a legal challenge, the United States Justice Department has filed a court document arguing that TikTok, the popular social media app, should be required to sell its American operations due to national security concerns related to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

TikTok had previously proposed certain changes to address the government's security concerns, including keeping U.S. user data separate within the country. However, the Justice Department deemed these measures insufficient, claiming that China could still potentially access sensitive data on American users and manipulate content on the platform for its own geopolitical goals.

The government also alleged that TikTok and ByteDance had made decisions regarding content based on directives from the Chinese government. Casey Blackburn, an assistant director of national intelligence, stated in a redacted section of the filing that the app and its parent company had taken action to comply with Chinese demands to censor content outside of China.

Elaborating on the potential national security threat, the Justice Department stated, "Given TikTok's broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikTok's features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale."

Under the law signed by President Biden in April, if the government successfully argues its case, it could mandate the sale or ban of TikTok in the United States. Should ByteDance fail to sell TikTok's American operations to a non-Chinese owner by mid-January, app stores and web hosting services will be required to discontinue their association with TikTok.

TikTok, with its 170 million U.S. users, filed a lawsuit in May to block the law, asserting that a sale is not feasible and that a ban would disproportionately affect small businesses. The company maintains that it has offered significant commitments to address the U.S. government's security concerns, including granting oversight of its algorithm to an American company and storing all data domestically.

The ongoing legal battle between TikTok and the U.S. government is anticipated to eventually reach the Supreme Court. The Justice Department's filing has intensified the debate surrounding the national security implications of Chinese-owned social media platforms, and its implications could have far-reaching consequences for digital privacy and geopolitical concerns.

Please note that the full article is not accessible in the provided information, and further updates on this matter are awaited.