Other countries are also taking action against TikTok. There were also reports Friday that software giant Microsoft is in talks to buy the app.
We may be banning TikTok.
ByteDance bought the predecessor app, Musical.ly, to TikTok in 2017, then rebranded it and spun into the global phenomenon it has become. Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok. There a couple of options, but a lot of things are happening. It has also tried to steer allies away from Huawei because of worries about the Chinese government's access to data, which the companies have denied it has.The Trump administration has stepped in before to block or dissolve deals on national-security concerns, including stopping Singapore's Broadcom from its USD 117 billion bid for US chipmaker Qualcomm in 2018 in an effort to help retain US leadership in the telecom space.It also told China's Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. to sell off its 2016 purchase of gay dating app Grindr. ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a video service popular with teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. "ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a video service popular with teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-could-be-bought-by-microsoft-amid-ban-threat-11596227901U.S. India this month banned dozens of Chinese apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns, amid tensions between the countries.The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. So we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House.Reports by Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal citing anonymous sources said that the administration could soon announce a decision ordering ByteDance to divest its ownership in TikTok.
US national-security officials have been reviewing the Musical.ly acquisition in recent months, while US armed forces have banned their employees from installing TikTok on government-issued phones.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month that the US was considering banning TikTok. If Microsoft bought TikTok, it would give the lumbering tech giant ownership of one of the trendiest social media platforms, favored by the youngest digital users coveted by all of Silicon Valley. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. Microsoft is said to be just one of a number of interested buyers of the app. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved See the 'Join the Conversation' area WSJ opens select articles to reader conversation to promote thoughtful dialogue.
These national-security worries parallel a broader US security crackdown on Chinese companies, including telecom providers Huawei and ZTE.The Trump administration has ordered that the US stop funding equipment from those providers in US networks. Microsoft declined to comment.