

“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump said to reporters while aboard Air Force One.
UNITED STATES (CNN Business) – Donald Trump said last night, Friday, July 31, 2020, that he will ban the popular video app TikTok from operating in the United States, rejecting a potential deal for Microsoft to buy the app from its Chinese-owned parent company.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump said to reporters while aboard Air Force One.
Trump said he could use emergency economic powers or executive order. It was not immediately clear what such an order would look like and what legal challenges it might face. “Well, I have that authority,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, people working on the issue within the Trump administration expected the President to sign an order to force ByteDance. This Chinese company owns the social media platform, to sell the US operations of TikTok, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move aimed to resolve policymakers’ concerns that the foreign-owned TikTok may be a national security risk.
The US government is conducting a national security review of TikTok and is preparing to make a policy recommendation to Trump. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters this week at the White House. ByteDance has been considering changes to its corporate structure and had reportedly already been looking into the possibility of selling a majority stake in TikTok.
According to the New York Times, Microsoft is in negotiation talks to acquire TikTok, citing a person with knowledge of the discussions. Microsoft declined to comment to CNN Business. Trump firmly rejected the idea of a potential spin-off deal satisfying national security concerns.
The app has exploded in popularity in the US and other western countries, becoming the first Chinese social media platform to gain significant traction with users outside of its home country. It was downloaded 315 million times in the first three months of this year, more quarterly downloads than any other app in history, according to analytics company Sensor Tower.
Critics of TikTok worry that the data it collects on its US users could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, though TikTok has said it stores its data outside of China and that it would resist any attempts Beijing to seize the information.
“TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform,” TikTok spokesperson Hilary McQuaide told CNN Business Saturday.
Cybersecurity experts have said TikTok’s potential risk to national security is largely theoretical and that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok’s user data has been compromised by Chinese intelligence.
more recommended stories
Va y Ven users in Mérida complain about air conditioning being turned off
Just one day after a Va.
Strange discovery in Progreso: empty sailboat found adrift
A strange discovery was made in.
Cyclist loses arm after being hit by a car on Mérida’s Periferico
A real tragedy occurred on Friday,.
Mérida is one of the best travel destinations in the world (Condé Nast Traveler)
Renán Barrera, the municipal president, boasted.
Lopez Obrador receives senior citizen pension
In his Patrimonial and Interest Declaration,.
Drought has not yet appeared in the Peninsula
Four days into the start of.
Yucatecan artisans take CDMX by storm
The Yucatan Entrepreneur Institute (IYEM) took.
These are the dates for the clean-up campaign in Mérida and its districts before the rainy season starts
This Saturday, May 27th and Sunday,.
Yucatan returns to the trampoline podium
Trampoline gymnastics contributed gold, silver and.
Yucatan restaurateurs are finally recovering after 3 years of the pandemic
The Cámara Nacional de la Industria.
Leave a Comment