Authorities have extended the deadline for selling TikTok.
Washington, United States:
U.S. authorities have given the Chinese owner of TikTok two more weeks to get rid of the social media sensation in an effort to address national security concerns expressed by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a court filing on Friday.
A notice filed by TikTok owner ByteDance in federal court showed authorities had extended the original deadline from November 12 to November 27.
The Trump administration, which claimed the popular video-sharing app could be used for Chinese espionage, threatened to ban TikTok unless it was sold to U.S. investors. But the ban has been challenged in court.
The latest filing indicated that the deadline set by the Intergovernmental Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had been extended, without elaboration.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department said it would delay implementing Trump’s policy to comply with a court order in favor of TikTok.
The Trump administration has been challenged over its ruling in at least two U.S. courts.
TikTok and its parent company have filed a lawsuit in the capital, while the “creators” of TikTok have a separate case pending in a Pennsylvania court, which blocked the ban on October 30.
It was only this week that US officials said they would not seek to enforce it, and the government at the same time said it was appealing the Pennsylavania order.
Trump and his aides have claimed that TikTok – which has some 100 million U.S. users – can be used to collect data on Americans for Chinese espionage, a claim the company has rejected.
The White House has said TikTok must become a US company controlled by US investors to avoid a ban.
But any plan would likely require approval from Beijing, which has been reluctant to relinquish control of its social media star.
China’s Ministry of Commerce released new rules in August that added “civilian use” to a list of types of technology restricted for export, which could make it harder for TikTok to sell by ByteDance, which features excerpts everything from dance routines to politics.
A deal appeared to be taking shape earlier this year that would see Silicon Valley giant Oracle being the data partner for a newly incorporated TikTok, with Walmart as the business partner.
While Trump has signaled his approval for the plan, it has not been finalized and the outlook remains unclear.
