TikTok ban deadline looms as US seeks non-Chinese owner

Short-form video platform TikTok was hours away from a deadline to find a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States (US).

The hugely popular video-sharing app, which has more than 170 million American users, is under threat from a US law that passed overwhelmingly last year and orders TikTok to split from its Chinese owner ByteDance or get shut down in the US.

Reaching a deal

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said his administration is “very close” to reaching a deal on TikTok, with multiple investors involved.

A White House official on Friday said Trump will make the announcement.

“If there is any news to be shared about the future of TikTok, President Trump will announce it at a time of his choosing.”

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TikTok ban

The Chinese-owned social media app was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on 18 January after the platform’s leadership temporarily halted service in the US, to the dismay of millions of users.

This was in response to a national security law that went into effect the next day.

However, Trump quickly announced a 75-day delay on his first day in office and TikTok subsequently restored service to existing users, returning to the Apple and Google app stores in February.

That delay is set to expire at midnight (0400 GMT) on April 5, but Trump has repeatedly downplayed risks that TikTok is in danger, saying he remains confident of finding a buyer for the app’s US business.

Solution

Asked on Thursday if he was willing to make deals with countries on tariffs, he said: “As long as they are giving us something that is good. For instance, with TikTok,” according to AFP.

“We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say we’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs? The tariffs give us great power to negotiate,” Trump said.

According to reports, the most likely solution would see existing US investors in ByteDance roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company.

Collecting data

Trump, though he supported a ban in his first term, has lately become a TikTok defender, seeing it as a reason more young voters supported him in November’s election.

One of his major political donors, billionaire Jeff Yass, is a major stakeholder in parent company ByteDance.

The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says the video hosting service is a conduit to spread propaganda, though China and ByteDance strongly deny these claims.

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