Trump told reporters that action was underway on TikTok but offered no details. (File)
Washington:
President Donald Trump was preparing an order requiring the fast-growing social media app TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company on national security grounds, media reported on Friday.
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have reported that Trump is on the verge of ordering the sale of US operations of TikTok by China-based Bytedance when the service could be used for Chinese intelligence.
Other reports, including one from Fox News, said Microsoft was in talks to acquire TikTok, which could be valued at tens of billions of dollars.
The move follows a review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, which is investigating agreements affecting the national security of the United States.
Neither TikTok nor Microsoft made an immediate comment.
TikTok, which has become very popular, especially with young audiences viewing its short videos, has one billion users worldwide.
Trump told reporters there was action on TikTok but offered no details.
“We are looking at Tiktok. We may be banning TikTok. We may be doing other things,” he said.
“There are several options, but there is a lot going on.”
In recent weeks, U.S. officials and lawmakers have expressed concerns about the potential for China to use TikTok for nefarious purposes, but the company has denied any connection to the Beijing government.
TikTok this week promised a high level of transparency, including allowing reviews of its algorithms, to assure users and regulators.
“We are not political, we do not accept political publicity and have no agenda – our only goal is to remain a vibrant and dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy,” said Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok this week.
“TikTok has become the last target, but we are not the enemy.”
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
