March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department told Congress the government would be in a stronger legal position if lawmakers ordered China's ByteDance to divest TikTok rather than simply banning the short video app.

The document said TikTok poses "key national security concerns" because it "collects tremendous amounts of sensitive data."

The Justice Department said any bill needs to separate TikTok the company from Beijing and its Chinese-based parent. (Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris Reese)