US President, Donald Trump has reportedly signed an executive order that aims to prohibit all transactions with TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance. This order – which is expected to come into effect in 45 days – is meant to “address the national emergency with respect to the information and communication technology supply chain”.
“The spread [of apps controlled by the Chinese government] continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” the order reads. “The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.”
A similar order has also been issued to ban transactions with popular texting app, WeChat.
This comes after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Trump were said to be in talks over the “purchase of TikTok” – this acquisition would allow Microsoft to own and operate the TikTok service in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
In a blog post, the tech company says that “Microsoft will move quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020. During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President.”
The US has made it very clear that it’s considering banning by the popular video-sharing app over user-privacy concerns.
The Verge reports that motivation for the ban stems from the fact that “lawmakers allege that TikTok could be pressured into handing over data or other intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party”.
Microsoft says that it “fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury”.
