TikTok could be BANNED as Chinese app ‘set to miss Trump’s deadline for sale in the US’
TIKTOK is likely to miss the deadline imposed by President Donald Trump for the sale of its US operations, a failure that may lead to a ban of the Chinese app in the States.
The video app's parent company Byte Dance has not managed to secure a deal with big-money suitors Microsoft and Oracle ahead of the September 20 cutoff due to new Chinese regulations, Bloomberg .
The company likely needs beyond the US executive order ban to reach an agreement with either of the parties, the report said, citing inside sources.
A Chinese regulatory review ultimately halted proceedings, Bloomberg said.
ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TikTok was the world's most downloaded app in 2018 and 2019 but has recently faced mounting opposition in the US.
The Trump administration is seeking to ban the app unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells the app’s US assets.
Senior figures have cited potential a national security risk due to the vast amount of private data the app is compiling on US citizens.
Experts and policy-makers fear the company may be funnelling the data of US users to the Chinese government. TikTok denies the allegations.
"We are committed to protecting the privacy and safety of the TikTok community," a TikTok spokesperson said.
TikTok: Brief guide to the world's most downloaded app
- TikTok lets users create and share short videos with music and camera effects
- The hit app is best known for short dance videos, lip-syncing clips, comedy sketches, and talent footage
- It is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, founded by the entrepreneur Zhang Yiming
- The $200billion conglomerate acquired the Musical.ly app in 2017 and merged it with TikTok, bringing millions of new users
- By February 2019, TikTok and Douyin had been downloaded more than a billion times
- It was the most-downloaded app on the App Store in 2018 and 2019
- Cyber experts have expressed concern over ByteDance's alleged links to the Chinese government
- The Department of Defense has urged its employees to avoid using the app over national security concerns
- TikTok says it does not and would not share user data with the Chinese government
"We have never given any US user data to the Chinese government nor would we do so if asked."
Trump's executive order, signed last month, will ban TikTok on September 20 if ByteDance doesn't sell up.
"The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the executive order reads.
"At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok."
Several tech companies have been linked to a TikTok buy-out, including Microsoft and Twitter.
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
In other news, a horrifying clip of a man committing suicide has gone viral on TikTok this week.
TikTok was last month caught collecting private user data for over a year in a brazen breach of Google app rules.
TikTok and hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
What do you think of the TikTok fiasco? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]