China on Monday slammed Washington for using "digital gunboat diplomacy" after US President Donald Trump ordered TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its interest in the Musical.ly app it bought and merged with TikTok.

As tensions soar between the world's two biggest economies, Trump has claimed TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

The order issued late Friday builds on sweeping restrictions issued last week by Trump that TikTok and WeChat end all operations in the US.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-us-targets-china-tech-tiktok-rival-bigo-shifts-servers-from-hong-kong-321170">Also read:&nbsp;As US targets China tech, TikTok rival Bigo shifts servers from Hong Kong</a>

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday said "freedom and security are merely excuses for some US politicians to pursue digital gunboat diplomacy" — referring to vessels used by Western imperial powers during the nineteenth century, which China considers a deeply humiliating period in its history.

TikTok — which is not available in China — has sought to distance itself from its Chinese owners.

Zhao said TikTok had done everything required by the US, including hiring only Americans as its top executives, hosting its servers in the US and making public its source code.&nbsp;

But the app has been "unable to escape the robbery through trickery undertaken by some people in the US based on bandit logic and political self-interest", Zhao said at a regular press conference.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alibaba-next-trump-is-looking-at-pressuring-other-chinese-companies-after-bytedance-320915">Also read:&nbsp;Alibaba next? Trump is looking at pressuring other Chinese companies after Bytedance</a>

ByteDance bought karaoke video app Musical.y from a Chinese rival about three years ago in a deal valued at nearly a billion dollars. It was incorporated into TikTok, which became a global sensation -- particularly among younger users.

The order, set to take effect in 90 days, retroactively prohibits the acquisition and bars ByteDance from having any interest in Musical.ly.

Trump ordered that any sale of interest in Musical.ly in the US had to be signed off on by the Committee on Foreign Investment, which is to be given access to ByteDance books.

TikTok appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, an American, as its new chief executive in May, and also withdrew from Hong Kong shortly after China imposed a controversial new security law on the city.

China on Monday slammed Washington for using "digital gunboat diplomacy" after US President Donald Trump ordered TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its interest in the Musical.

China on Monday slammed Washington for using "digital gunboat diplomacy" after US President Donald Trump ordered TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its interest in the Musical.ly app it bought and merged with TikTok. As tensions soar between the world's two biggest economies, Trump has claimed TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage. The order issued late Friday builds on sweeping restrictions issued last week by Trump that TikTok and WeChat end all operations in the US. Also read: As US targets China tech, TikTok rival Bigo shifts servers from Hong Kong Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday said "freedom and security are merely excuses for some US politicians to pursue digital gunboat diplomacy" — referring to vessels used by Western imperial powers during the nineteenth century, which China considers a deeply humiliating period in its history. TikTok — which is not available in China — has sought to distance itself from its Chinese owners. Zhao said TikTok had done everything required by the US, including hiring only Americans as its top executives, hosting its servers in the US and making public its source code. But the app has been "unable to escape the robbery through trickery undertaken by some people in the US based on bandit logic and political self-interest", Zhao said at a regular press conference. Also read: Alibaba next? Trump is looking at pressuring other Chinese companies after Bytedance ByteDance bought karaoke video app Musical.y from a Chinese rival about three years ago in a deal valued at nearly a billion dollars. It was incorporated into TikTok, which became a global sensation -- particularly among younger users. The order, set to take effect in 90 days, retroactively prohibits the acquisition and bars ByteDance from having any interest in Musical.ly. Trump ordered that any sale of interest in Musical.ly in the US had to be signed off on by the Committee on Foreign Investment, which is to be given access to ByteDance books. TikTok appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, an American, as its new chief executive in May, and also withdrew from Hong Kong shortly after China imposed a controversial new security law on the city.

China blasts US 'digital gunboat diplomacy' over TikTok

BIGO Technology, a smaller rival of embattled Chinese appmaker ByteDance, is shifting servers from Hong Kong to Singapore, out of the reach of a new national security law at a time when it is seeking to emphasise independence from its Chinese parent.

The move, which follows India's ban on the firm's apps during this year's flare-up in hostilities between New Delhi and Beijing, comes as the United States toughens scrutiny of Chinese-owned firms in one of its most promising markets.

President Donald Trump has said the United States could exert more pressure on China-owned companies after threatening to ban ByteDance's popular short-video app TikTok over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles.

Bigo, whose equivalent app, Likee, and live streaming app, Bigo Live, compete with TikTok, has not been named by U.S. authorities, but a senior official of the firm told Reuters it hoped "not to be caught in the crossfire."

"The unfortunate thing is sometimes we can't control what other people think," Mike Ong, vice president of government relations, said in an interview at the firm's headquarters in the city state, where it was founded in 2014. 
Ong said the firm runs "totally independently" of JOYY, a U.S.-listed Chinese tech firm that bought it last year in a deal valuing Bigo at $2.1 billion. Bigo is an abbreviation of "Before I Get Old."

JOYY's chief executive, Chinese national David Li, is a co-founder and chairman of both companies.

Ong, who worked with Singapore's telecoms regulator before joining Bigo late last year, said it does not provide services in China, and has its own management, resources and infrastructure, including data centres.

With Hong Kong's new national security law giving Beijing authority to demand that companies turn over user data, Bigo, like other global tech firms, is moving its servers out of the semi-autonomous city.

"There's a certain apprehension with what's going on in Hong Kong," said Ong. "To be safe, we have decided to make sure that we relocate them (servers) to Singapore."

Bigo's biggest data centre capacity is in Singapore, along with other markets where it operates, such as India, the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

Still, despite its repeated assertions of independence and Singapore origins, India banned it, along with some Chinese apps, in June as presenting threats to the South Asian nation's "sovereignty and integrity", after a border clash with China.

India is among Bigo's biggest markets and the base of more than a fifth of its global staff of 5,000.

Bigo said it had appealed to both Singapore and Indian governments for help in the matter. Neither immediately responded to a request for comment.

Singapore is among the most popular locations for Chinese firms looking to expand overseas, since ethnic Chinese make up a majority of its population and Mandarin is widely spoken.

But even there, Bigo's situation exemplifies the growing challenges for firms in a world of increasingly polarised technology.

"The ownership of a company isn't decided by where the headquarters is, but who takes the majority share," said Xiaofeng Wang, an analyst with research firm Forrester.

If countries were to ban apps based on politics, companies would have few options even if they were separate entities from their parents with different brands, she added.

Asked if the company was looking at listing Bigo, diversifying its ownership or selling its U.S. business, Ong said it was weighing various scenarios, but declined to give details.

As the coronavirus pandemic forces people to stay home, Bigo has become a major growth driver for parent JOYY. Bigo Live has seen growth of more than 30% in monthly active users since the start of the year, with a corresponding figure of 50% for Likee.

Europe and North America are the firm's fastest growing markets, it said. 
&nbsp;

BIGO Technology, a smaller rival of embattled Chinese appmaker ByteDance, is shifting servers from Hong Kong to Singapore, out of the reach of a new national security law at a time when it is seeking to emphasise independence from its Chinese parent.

BIGO Technology, a smaller rival of embattled Chinese appmaker ByteDance, is shifting servers from Hong Kong to Singapore, out of the reach of a new national security law at a time when it is seeking to emphasise independence from its Chinese parent. The move, which follows India's ban on the firm's apps during this year's flare-up in hostilities between New Delhi and Beijing, comes as the United States toughens scrutiny of Chinese-owned firms in one of its most promising markets. President Donald Trump has said the United States could exert more pressure on China-owned companies after threatening to ban ByteDance's popular short-video app TikTok over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles. Bigo, whose equivalent app, Likee, and live streaming app, Bigo Live, compete with TikTok, has not been named by U.S. authorities, but a senior official of the firm told Reuters it hoped "not to be caught in the crossfire." "The unfortunate thing is sometimes we can't control what other people think," Mike Ong, vice president of government relations, said in an interview at the firm's headquarters in the city state, where it was founded in 2014. Ong said the firm runs "totally independently" of JOYY, a U.S.-listed Chinese tech firm that bought it last year in a deal valuing Bigo at $2.1 billion. Bigo is an abbreviation of "Before I Get Old." JOYY's chief executive, Chinese national David Li, is a co-founder and chairman of both companies. Ong, who worked with Singapore's telecoms regulator before joining Bigo late last year, said it does not provide services in China, and has its own management, resources and infrastructure, including data centres. With Hong Kong's new national security law giving Beijing authority to demand that companies turn over user data, Bigo, like other global tech firms, is moving its servers out of the semi-autonomous city. "There's a certain apprehension with what's going on in Hong Kong," said Ong. "To be safe, we have decided to make sure that we relocate them (servers) to Singapore." Bigo's biggest data centre capacity is in Singapore, along with other markets where it operates, such as India, the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Still, despite its repeated assertions of independence and Singapore origins, India banned it, along with some Chinese apps, in June as presenting threats to the South Asian nation's "sovereignty and integrity", after a border clash with China. India is among Bigo's biggest markets and the base of more than a fifth of its global staff of 5,000. Bigo said it had appealed to both Singapore and Indian governments for help in the matter. Neither immediately responded to a request for comment. Singapore is among the most popular locations for Chinese firms looking to expand overseas, since ethnic Chinese make up a majority of its population and Mandarin is widely spoken. But even there, Bigo's situation exemplifies the growing challenges for firms in a world of increasingly polarised technology. "The ownership of a company isn't decided by where the headquarters is, but who takes the majority share," said Xiaofeng Wang, an analyst with research firm Forrester. If countries were to ban apps based on politics, companies would have few options even if they were separate entities from their parents with different brands, she added. Asked if the company was looking at listing Bigo, diversifying its ownership or selling its U.S. business, Ong said it was weighing various scenarios, but declined to give details. As the coronavirus pandemic forces people to stay home, Bigo has become a major growth driver for parent JOYY. Bigo Live has seen growth of more than 30% in monthly active users since the start of the year, with a corresponding figure of 50% for Likee. Europe and North America are the firm's fastest growing markets, it said.

As US targets China tech, TikTok rival Bigo shifts servers from Hong Kong

The US President Donald Trump has been a very vocal hater of the popular video sharing app TikTok with Chinese roots.

He recently gave an ultimatum to the Chinese parent company ByteDance to handover its US operations to a US-based company or face a complete ban in the US.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alibaba-next-trump-is-looking-at-pressuring-other-chinese-companies-after-bytedance-320915">Also read:&nbsp;Alibaba next? Trump is looking at pressuring other Chinese companies after Bytedance</a>

While that controversy is still going on, Trump has chosen sides with TikTok's competitor app Triller. While TikTok is trying to find a way to save the company from the ban,&nbsp;unless ByteDance divests it within 45 days, Triller has gifted a verified account to the US President.

As of Saturday late night,&nbsp;Trump’s Triller account had three short videos and a little more than 3,000 followers. Experts believe this can also help Trump reach the younger generation ahead of the November 03 Presidential elections.

Triller is one of the most common and famous alternative of TikTok.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-claims-to-possess-evidence-against-bytedance-orders-to-divest-interest-in-tiktok-within-90-days-320621">Also read:&nbsp;Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days</a>

However, there has been no comments from the President — who lost his younger brother few hours ago — or his campaign team.

Meanwhile, ByteDance has been approached by Microsoft and TikTok for takeover of the company's US operations. Microsoft, however, may also be looking to buy ByteDance's India operations, in addition to&nbsp;North America, Australia and New Zealand, as per local media reports.&nbsp;

Triller and TikTok have not yet issued a statement.

The US President Donald Trump has been a very vocal hater of the popular video sharing app TikTok with Chinese roots. He recently gave an ultimatum to the Chinese parent company ByteDance to handover its US operations to a US-based company or face a complete ban in the US.

The US President Donald Trump has been a very vocal hater of the popular video sharing app TikTok with Chinese roots. He recently gave an ultimatum to the Chinese parent company ByteDance to handover its US operations to a US-based company or face a complete ban in the US. Also read: Alibaba next? Trump is looking at pressuring other Chinese companies after Bytedance While that controversy is still going on, Trump has chosen sides with TikTok's competitor app Triller. While TikTok is trying to find a way to save the company from the ban, unless ByteDance divests it within 45 days, Triller has gifted a verified account to the US President. As of Saturday late night, Trump’s Triller account had three short videos and a little more than 3,000 followers. Experts believe this can also help Trump reach the younger generation ahead of the November 03 Presidential elections. Triller is one of the most common and famous alternative of TikTok. Also read: Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days However, there has been no comments from the President — who lost his younger brother few hours ago — or his campaign team. Meanwhile, ByteDance has been approached by Microsoft and TikTok for takeover of the company's US operations. Microsoft, however, may also be looking to buy ByteDance's India operations, in addition to North America, Australia and New Zealand, as per local media reports. Triller and TikTok have not yet issued a statement.

Amid TikTok controversy, Trump gets verified account on Triller

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he could exert pressure on more Chinese companies such as technology giant Alibaba after he moved to ban TikTok.

Trump, when asked at a news conference whether there were other particular China-owned companies he was considering a ban on, such as Alibaba, Trump replied: "Well, we're looking at other things, yes."

Trump has been piling pressure on Chinese-owned companies, such as by vowing to ban short-video app TikTok from the United States.&nbsp;

The United States ordered its Chinese owner ByteDance on Friday to divest the US operations of TikTok within 90 days, the latest effort to ramp up pressure over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles.

Trump, who has made changing the US-China trade relationship a central theme of his presidency, has been sharply critical of Beijing as far as handling of the coronavirus pandemic is concerned.

According to Trump, China did not take the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan last year seriously, leading to the global tragedy -- the pandemic. China vehemently denies the charges.

Since then, Trump's rhetoric has been to ban everything Chinese.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he could exert pressure on more Chinese companies such as technology giant Alibaba after he moved to ban TikTok. Trump, when asked at a news conference whether there were other particular China-owned companies he was considering a ban on, such as Alibaba, Trump replied: "Well, we're looking at other things, yes.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he could exert pressure on more Chinese companies such as technology giant Alibaba after he moved to ban TikTok. Trump, when asked at a news conference whether there were other particular China-owned companies he was considering a ban on, such as Alibaba, Trump replied: "Well, we're looking at other things, yes." Trump has been piling pressure on Chinese-owned companies, such as by vowing to ban short-video app TikTok from the United States. The United States ordered its Chinese owner ByteDance on Friday to divest the US operations of TikTok within 90 days, the latest effort to ramp up pressure over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles. Trump, who has made changing the US-China trade relationship a central theme of his presidency, has been sharply critical of Beijing as far as handling of the coronavirus pandemic is concerned. According to Trump, China did not take the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan last year seriously, leading to the global tragedy -- the pandemic. China vehemently denies the charges. Since then, Trump's rhetoric has been to ban everything Chinese.

Alibaba next? Trump is looking at pressuring other Chinese companies after Bytedance

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-claims-to-possess-evidence-against-bytedance-orders-to-divest-interest-in-tiktok-within-90-days-320621">Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/01/152496-trump-and-tiktok.jpg?itok=ClzxuSUg" />

'There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,' Trump said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-dedicates-74th-independence-day-address-to-corona-warriors-security-forces-320685">PM Modi dedicates 74th Independence Day address to corona warriors, security forces</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/15/154777-modi-address-2.jpg?itok=fQOacL2S" />

Continuing the tradition of sporting bright-coloured turbans for his Independence Day speeches, the prime minister chose an off-white saafa with broad streak of orange for the second I-Day address of his second term, and seventh consecutive address

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-camp-slams-trumps-for-abhorrent-birther-lies-about-kamala-harris-320624">Biden camp slams Trumps for 'abhorrent' birther lies about Kamala Harris</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/13/154377-harris-and-biden-2.jpg?itok=l4FxmCs2" />

'Trump has has sought to fuel racism and tear our nation apart,' a statement from Biden read.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kevin-clinesmith-former-fbi-lawyer-to-plead-guilty-for-falsifying-email-against-trump-320632">Kevin Clinesmith, former FBI lawyer, to plead guilty for falsifying email against Trump</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/15/154750-kevin-clinesmith-1.jpg?itok=YdClBEt1" />

He has taken responsibility for altering the email, however his lawyers have emphasised that this was not his intent.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-is-china-running-out-of-food-320611">Gravitas: Is China running out of food?</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=eyJ1IjoiaHR0cHM6Ly92b2Rha20uemVlbmV3cy5jb20vdm9kLzE0MDhXT1lCX0dSQVZJVEFTXzAxXzA2Lm1wNC9pbmRleC5tM3U4Iiwic2hhcmVMaW5rIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2lvbmV3cy5jb20vdmlkZW9zL2dyYXZpdGFzLWlzLWNoaW5hLXJ1bm5pbmctb3V0LW9mLWZvb2QtMzIwNjExIiwicGx1Z2lucyI6eyJnb29nbGVBbmFseXRpY3MiOnsidHJhY2tpbmdJZCI6IlVBLTc4NDAwODA4LTEiLCJldmVudHMiOnsiUExBWUlOR19TVEFSVCI6eyJhbGlhcyI6IlZpZGVvIFBsYXkiLCJjYXRlZ29yeSI6IkFudmF0byBQbGF5ZXIiLCJsYWJlbCI6IkFudmFudG8gVmlkZW8gUGxheWluZyIsIm1ldHJpYyI6IjEifSwiQlVGRkVSX1NUQVJUIjp7ImFsaWFzIjoiVmlkZW8gQnVmZmVyIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnkiOiJBbnZhdG8gUGxheWVyIiwibGFiZWwiOiJBbnZhbnRvIFZpZGVvIEJ1ZmZlciBzdGFydHMiLCJtZXRyaWMiOiIyIn0sIlZJREVPX0NPTVBMRVRFRCI6eyJhbGlhcyI6IlZpZGVvIENvbXBsZXRlIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnkiOiJBbnZhdG8gUGxheWVyIiwibGFiZWwiOiJBbnZhbnRvIFZpZGVvIENvbXBsZXRlZCIsIm1ldHJpYyI6IjQifSwiQURfQlJFQUtfU1RBUlRFRCI6eyJhbGlhcyI6IlZpZGVvIEFkdnQgQnJlYWsiLCJjYXRlZ29yeSI6IkFudmF0byBQbGF5ZXIifX19LCJkZnAiOnsiY2xpZW50U2lkZSI6eyJhZFRhZ1VybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vcHViYWRzLmcuZG91YmxlY2xpY2submV0L2dhbXBhZC9saXZlL2Fkcz9pdT0vMTE0NDA0NjUvV2lvbmV3c19WaWRlby9XaW9uZXdzX1ByZXJvbGwmZGVzY3JpcHRpb25fdXJsPVtwbGFjZWhvbGRlcl0mZW52PXZwJmltcGw9cyZjb3JyZWxhdG9yPSZ0ZmNkPTAmbnBhPTAmZ2RmcF9yZXE9MSZvdXRwdXQ9dmFzdCZzej02NDB4NDgwJnVudmlld2VkX3Bvc2l0aW9uX3N0YXJ0PTEifX0sImhlYWx0aEFuYWx5dGljcyI6e319LCJodG1sNSI6dHJ1ZX0%3D" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days 'There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance .

Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days 'There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,' Trump said. PM Modi dedicates 74th Independence Day address to corona warriors, security forces Continuing the tradition of sporting bright-coloured turbans for his Independence Day speeches, the prime minister chose an off-white saafa with broad streak of orange for the second I-Day address of his second term, and seventh consecutive address Biden camp slams Trumps for 'abhorrent' birther lies about Kamala Harris 'Trump has has sought to fuel racism and tear our nation apart,' a statement from Biden read. Kevin Clinesmith, former FBI lawyer, to plead guilty for falsifying email against Trump He has taken responsibility for altering the email, however his lawyers have emphasised that this was not his intent. Gravitas: Is China running out of food? ×

Morning news brief: India's 74th Independence Day, Biden slams Trump and more

The US President Donald Trump, in another series of orders against the Chinese company ByteDance, has ordered ByteDance to divest its interest in TikTok's operations in the US within 90 days.

Donald Trump has been trying to shut down ByteDance's popular short-video sharing app TikTok in the US for some time now. Trump believes the Chinese parents company is acting as an insider source for the Chinese intelligence.

“There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,” Trump said in the order.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-in-talks-with-tiktok-to-discuss-possible-merging-reports-319139">Also read|&nbsp;Twitter in talks with TikTok to discuss possible merging: Reports</a>

Trump, earlier, had announced a ban on the very popular video sharing app, TikTok. However,&nbsp;Microsoft came to the rescue of the Chinese app, announcing a possibility of taking over TikTok's US operations. Twitter, too, followed the suit.&nbsp;

Later, Trump announced a 45-days notice to TikTok&nbsp;to either sell or face the ban, demanding significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury. Trump, at that time, said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order... any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd," Trump had earlier warned ByteDance.

Since then, there has been no confirmation on whether or not Microsoft or Twitter would buy the US operations of TikTok from ByteDance.

More details on the 90-days order are awaited.

The US President Donald Trump, in another series of orders against the Chinese company ByteDance, has ordered ByteDance to divest its interest in TikTok's operations in the US within 90 days.

The US President Donald Trump, in another series of orders against the Chinese company ByteDance, has ordered ByteDance to divest its interest in TikTok's operations in the US within 90 days. Donald Trump has been trying to shut down ByteDance's popular short-video sharing app TikTok in the US for some time now. Trump believes the Chinese parents company is acting as an insider source for the Chinese intelligence. “There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,” Trump said in the order. Also read| Twitter in talks with TikTok to discuss possible merging: Reports Trump, earlier, had announced a ban on the very popular video sharing app, TikTok. However, Microsoft came to the rescue of the Chinese app, announcing a possibility of taking over TikTok's US operations. Twitter, too, followed the suit. Later, Trump announced a 45-days notice to TikTok to either sell or face the ban, demanding significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury. Trump, at that time, said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15. × "The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order... any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd," Trump had earlier warned ByteDance. Since then, there has been no confirmation on whether or not Microsoft or Twitter would buy the US operations of TikTok from ByteDance. More details on the 90-days order are awaited.

Trump claims to possess evidence against ByteDance; orders to divest interest in TikTok within 90 days

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the Czech Republic and he has lashed out at China's Communist Party as well as the TikTok's platforms misuse. Watch report.

Pompeo in Czech Republic: Raises concern over Chinese tech, Slams Communist Party

Chinese social media giant TikTok allegedly collected user data to identify&nbsp;and track&nbsp;devices on the Android operating software.

This is in direct&nbsp;violation of Google’s data policies, and reportedly this data logging went on for 15 months.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/us-ban-on-tiktok-could-cut-it-off-from-app-stores-advertisers-319854" hreflang="en">US ban on TikTok could cut it off from app stores, advertisers</a>

The investigation, undertaken by the Wall Street Journal reveals that the company trackers users online by identifying the devices. Additionally, TikTok did not inform the users of this monitoring and no option for opting out of this was given.

Until the app received an update in November 2019, the company had been collecting the MAC addresses from Android devices.

Collecting data banned

Collecting addresses and related data has been banned on Apple and Google for years. But many companies were able to bypass Google’s security measures in place by identifying a loophole. TikTok was among 347 companies who collected such data without user permission.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/china-accuses-us-of-political-manipulation-over-tiktok-wechat-ban-318816" hreflang="en">China accuses US of 'political manipulation' over TikTok, WeChat ban</a>

The report claims that such addresses are stores from gaming applications to curate person specific advertisements.

TikTok is currently facing a global boycott. India became the first country to officially ban the app, after a border skirmish with China, citing a threat to national sovereignty. Following suit, the US has put the application on the spot for its data security loopholes.

TikTok under pressure

Through an executive order, US President Donald Trump has set September 20 as the deadline for the company to sell off its US operations to an American country, after which it may face a blanket ban.

Trump administration had alleged that the company provides user data to the Chinese government, and he fears that the parent company ByteDance could compromise the security of American citizens.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/tiktok-threatens-legal-action-in-us-court-over-trumps-executive-order-318834" hreflang="en">TikTok threatens legal action in US court over Trump's executive order</a>

In response, TikTok had repeatedly denied giving data to the Chinese government, and instead claimed that American companies like Google and Facebook undertake way more data collection than the Chinese company.

Reports suggested that Twitter and Microsoft have both shown interest in acquiring the US operations of TikTok. But ByteDance’s CEO Zhang Yiming has threatened legal action against Trump’s “unreasonable” order.

Chinese social media giant TikTok allegedly collected user data to identify and track devices on the Android operating software. This is in direct violation of Google’s data policies, and reportedly this data logging went on for 15 months.

Chinese social media giant TikTok allegedly collected user data to identify and track devices on the Android operating software. This is in direct violation of Google’s data policies, and reportedly this data logging went on for 15 months. Also read: US ban on TikTok could cut it off from app stores, advertisers The investigation, undertaken by the Wall Street Journal reveals that the company trackers users online by identifying the devices. Additionally, TikTok did not inform the users of this monitoring and no option for opting out of this was given. Until the app received an update in November 2019, the company had been collecting the MAC addresses from Android devices. Collecting data banned Collecting addresses and related data has been banned on Apple and Google for years. But many companies were able to bypass Google’s security measures in place by identifying a loophole. TikTok was among 347 companies who collected such data without user permission. Also read: China accuses US of 'political manipulation' over TikTok, WeChat ban The report claims that such addresses are stores from gaming applications to curate person specific advertisements. TikTok is currently facing a global boycott. India became the first country to officially ban the app, after a border skirmish with China, citing a threat to national sovereignty. Following suit, the US has put the application on the spot for its data security loopholes. TikTok under pressure Through an executive order, US President Donald Trump has set September 20 as the deadline for the company to sell off its US operations to an American country, after which it may face a blanket ban. Trump administration had alleged that the company provides user data to the Chinese government, and he fears that the parent company ByteDance could compromise the security of American citizens. Also read: TikTok threatens legal action in US court over Trump's executive order In response, TikTok had repeatedly denied giving data to the Chinese government, and instead claimed that American companies like Google and Facebook undertake way more data collection than the Chinese company. Reports suggested that Twitter and Microsoft have both shown interest in acquiring the US operations of TikTok. But ByteDance’s CEO Zhang Yiming has threatened legal action against Trump’s “unreasonable” order.

TikTok tracked Android devices in direct violation of Google's policy

President Donald Trump's executive order banning China's TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.&nbsp;

Trump signed an order last week prohibiting transactions with TikTok if its parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it in 45 days. It did not specify the scope of the ban, stating only that the U.S. Department of Commerce would define which transactions would be barred at the end of the 45-day period.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/twitter-in-talks-with-tiktok-to-discuss-possible-merging-reports-319139" hreflang="en">Twitter in talks with TikTok to discuss possible merging: Reports</a>

The White House document, sent out to supporters last week, provides insight into the Trump administration's thinking. It shows the U.S. government is considering disrupting key aspects of TikTok's operations and funding, amid concerns over the safety of personal data that the app handles.&nbsp;

"Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores ... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states.

A source familiar with the White House document verified its authenticity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some technology industry experts said eliminating TikTok's ability to be offered on Apple Inc and Google owner Alphabet Inc's app stores, which in turn allow it to be downloaded on iPhone and Android smartphones, could cripple the app's growth.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/tiktok-threatens-legal-action-in-us-court-over-trumps-executive-order-318834" hreflang="en">TikTok threatens legal action in US court over Trump's executive order</a>

"That kills TikTok in the U.S," said James Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If they want to grow, these rules are a huge obstacle."&nbsp;

He added, though, that the U.S. government may not be able to prevent Americans from downloading TikTok from foreign websites.&nbsp;

Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Following Trump's executive order last week, TikTok told advertisers it would continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it cannot fulfill, and work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of a ban. Some advertisers told Reuters they were drafting contingency plans and considering other apps for their marketing.

It is not clear whether Trump's order will be implemented. Microsoft Corp has been leading negotiations to acquire the North America, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok under the supervision of the Trump administration. A successful deal would make banning transactions with TikTok moot.

The White House document seen by Reuters is not clear on whether the United States would implement a similar crackdown on WeChat, the social media app owned by China's Tencent Holdings Ltd that Trump also sought to ban in an executive order on last week.&nbsp;

TikTok, which has said is exploring legal challenges to Trump's order, has 100 million active users in the United States, and is especially popular with teenagers. It has said U.S. user data is safely stored in the United States and Singapore, and that it would not hand over such information to the Chinese government.

President Donald Trump's executive order banning China's TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.

President Donald Trump's executive order banning China's TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters. Trump signed an order last week prohibiting transactions with TikTok if its parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it in 45 days. It did not specify the scope of the ban, stating only that the U.S. Department of Commerce would define which transactions would be barred at the end of the 45-day period. Also read: Twitter in talks with TikTok to discuss possible merging: Reports The White House document, sent out to supporters last week, provides insight into the Trump administration's thinking. It shows the U.S. government is considering disrupting key aspects of TikTok's operations and funding, amid concerns over the safety of personal data that the app handles. "Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores ... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states. A source familiar with the White House document verified its authenticity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some technology industry experts said eliminating TikTok's ability to be offered on Apple Inc and Google owner Alphabet Inc's app stores, which in turn allow it to be downloaded on iPhone and Android smartphones, could cripple the app's growth. Also read: TikTok threatens legal action in US court over Trump's executive order "That kills TikTok in the U.S," said James Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If they want to grow, these rules are a huge obstacle." He added, though, that the U.S. government may not be able to prevent Americans from downloading TikTok from foreign websites. Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Following Trump's executive order last week, TikTok told advertisers it would continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it cannot fulfill, and work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of a ban. Some advertisers told Reuters they were drafting contingency plans and considering other apps for their marketing. It is not clear whether Trump's order will be implemented. Microsoft Corp has been leading negotiations to acquire the North America, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok under the supervision of the Trump administration. A successful deal would make banning transactions with TikTok moot. The White House document seen by Reuters is not clear on whether the United States would implement a similar crackdown on WeChat, the social media app owned by China's Tencent Holdings Ltd that Trump also sought to ban in an executive order on last week. TikTok, which has said is exploring legal challenges to Trump's order, has 100 million active users in the United States, and is especially popular with teenagers. It has said U.S. user data is safely stored in the United States and Singapore, and that it would not hand over such information to the Chinese government.

US ban on TikTok could cut it off from app stores, advertisers

Trade negotiators from the United States and China will discuss the implementation of the phase one trade deal in the coming days, with China likely to bring up issues surrounding TikTok and WeChat, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Agricultural purchases and the dollar-yuan exchange rate will also be among the topics to be discussed in the virtual meeting that may take place as early as this week, though a date has not been finalized, according to the report.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/tiktok-tracked-android-devices-in-direct-violation-of-googles-policy-319880" hreflang="en">TikTok tracked Android devices in direct violation of Google's policy</a>

Last week, US&nbsp;President Donald Trump unveiled bans on US&nbsp;transactions with the China-based owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok.

The report comes a day after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that the U.S.-China trade deal was in "fine" shape, despite recent tensions between the two countries over Hong Kong, the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, data security and trade tariffs.

Trade negotiators from the United States and China will discuss the implementation of the phase one trade deal in the coming days, with China likely to bring up issues surrounding TikTok and WeChat, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Trade negotiators from the United States and China will discuss the implementation of the phase one trade deal in the coming days, with China likely to bring up issues surrounding TikTok and WeChat, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing sources. Agricultural purchases and the dollar-yuan exchange rate will also be among the topics to be discussed in the virtual meeting that may take place as early as this week, though a date has not been finalized, according to the report. Also read: TikTok tracked Android devices in direct violation of Google's policy Last week, US President Donald Trump unveiled bans on US transactions with the China-based owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok. The report comes a day after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that the U.S.-China trade deal was in "fine" shape, despite recent tensions between the two countries over Hong Kong, the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, data security and trade tariffs.

China to raise issues surrounding WeChat, TikTok in trade talks with US

After waves of controversies related to a possible ban and discussions with Microsoft to take over the US operations, TikTok now has a new suitor.

Twitter, the California-based company, is in talks with TikTok to discuss the possibility of merging the two companies, according to reports published by a leading US media house.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-planning-to-buy-tiktoks-global-business-reports-318751">Also read|&nbsp;Microsoft planning to buy TikTok's global business: Reports</a>

Few weeks ago, the US President Donald Trump had announced a ban on the short-video sharing app claiming that the app was a front for Chinese intelligence to snoop in on the US. Later, Microsoft came to the rescue of the Chinese app, announcing a possibility of taking over TikTok's US operations.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

However, there has been no confirmation on the possible take-over. Meanwhile, Trump has given a 45-days notice to TikTok to either sell or face the ban, demanding&nbsp;significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury.

Now, it has been revealed by the US media that the social media giant Twitter, co-founded by&nbsp;Jack Dorsey, might be in discussions to merge with TikTok. Since Twitter is a smaller company than Microsoft, Twitter would have a long-shot bid for TikTok and would need support of other investors to acquire this deal. However, Twitter, in such a case, has the benefit of facing less scrutiny than Microsoft, due to its size.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-signs-executive-order-banning-transactions-with-tiktok-owner-after-45-days-318735">Also read|&nbsp;Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days</a>

Since the reports came out, people have been trying to figure out how the transformation of Twitter — an app that has very limited characters and upload size — look like if combined with TikTok — an app that usually has fun short videos.

This is not the first time Twitter has proposed such a deal. In 2012, Twitter acquired Vine, a similar app to TikTok, but had to shut it down in 2016.

There have been no official statements from TikTok and Twitter on this issue.

After waves of controversies related to a possible ban and discussions with Microsoft to take over the US operations, TikTok now has a new suitor. Twitter, the California-based company, is in talks with TikTok to discuss the possibility of merging the two companies, according to reports published by a leading US media house.

After waves of controversies related to a possible ban and discussions with Microsoft to take over the US operations, TikTok now has a new suitor. Twitter, the California-based company, is in talks with TikTok to discuss the possibility of merging the two companies, according to reports published by a leading US media house. Also read| Microsoft planning to buy TikTok's global business: Reports Few weeks ago, the US President Donald Trump had announced a ban on the short-video sharing app claiming that the app was a front for Chinese intelligence to snoop in on the US. Later, Microsoft came to the rescue of the Chinese app, announcing a possibility of taking over TikTok's US operations. × However, there has been no confirmation on the possible take-over. Meanwhile, Trump has given a 45-days notice to TikTok to either sell or face the ban, demanding significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury. Now, it has been revealed by the US media that the social media giant Twitter, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, might be in discussions to merge with TikTok. Since Twitter is a smaller company than Microsoft, Twitter would have a long-shot bid for TikTok and would need support of other investors to acquire this deal. However, Twitter, in such a case, has the benefit of facing less scrutiny than Microsoft, due to its size. Also read| Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days Since the reports came out, people have been trying to figure out how the transformation of Twitter — an app that has very limited characters and upload size — look like if combined with TikTok — an app that usually has fun short videos. This is not the first time Twitter has proposed such a deal. In 2012, Twitter acquired Vine, a similar app to TikTok, but had to shut it down in 2016. There have been no official statements from TikTok and Twitter on this issue.

Twitter in talks with TikTok to discuss possible merging: Reports

Indonesia had added Facebook, Disney and TikTok to the list of technology companies that will be obligated to pay 10 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on sales to Indonesian customers.

The decision to add these companies in the list was announced in a tax report on Friday morning.

The statement came after last month the country's tax department announced a 10 per cent VAT on sales by technology companies.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-planning-to-buy-tiktoks-global-business-reports-318751">Also read:&nbsp;Microsoft planning to buy TikTok's global business: Reports</a>

The decision was made keeping in mind the shift in spending patterns of the&nbsp;270 million residents of Indonesia during the pandemic. This shift has caused financial difficulties for the government, that it aims to get rid of with this new tax plan.

Other organisations that are a part of the list are Amazon Netflix, Spotify, Google, three units of Facebook, Tiktok Pte Ltd, Apple Distribution International Ltd, The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte Ltd, and more of Amazon’s subsidiaries, including its audiobook unit Audible and its voice assistant Alexa.

Under Indonesia’s rules, non-resident foreign firms which sell digital products and services in Indonesia worth at least 600 million rupiah ($41,039.67) a year or which generate yearly traffic from at least 12,000 users will be required to pay the 10% VAT.

The companies added to the list on Friday have not issued a comment on the increase in tax.

The Indonesian government is expecting a huge drop of 13 per cent in its state revenue due to the ongoing pandemic.

Indonesia had added Facebook, Disney and TikTok to the list of technology companies that will be obligated to pay 10 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on sales to Indonesian customers.

Indonesia had added Facebook, Disney and TikTok to the list of technology companies that will be obligated to pay 10 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on sales to Indonesian customers. The decision to add these companies in the list was announced in a tax report on Friday morning. The statement came after last month the country's tax department announced a 10 per cent VAT on sales by technology companies. Also read: Microsoft planning to buy TikTok's global business: Reports The decision was made keeping in mind the shift in spending patterns of the 270 million residents of Indonesia during the pandemic. This shift has caused financial difficulties for the government, that it aims to get rid of with this new tax plan. Other organisations that are a part of the list are Amazon Netflix, Spotify, Google, three units of Facebook, Tiktok Pte Ltd, Apple Distribution International Ltd, The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte Ltd, and more of Amazon’s subsidiaries, including its audiobook unit Audible and its voice assistant Alexa. Under Indonesia’s rules, non-resident foreign firms which sell digital products and services in Indonesia worth at least 600 million rupiah ($41,039.67) a year or which generate yearly traffic from at least 12,000 users will be required to pay the 10% VAT. The companies added to the list on Friday have not issued a comment on the increase in tax. The Indonesian government is expecting a huge drop of 13 per cent in its state revenue due to the ongoing pandemic.

Indonesia asks Facebook, TikTok and Disney to pay 10% VAT: Tax reports

After Microsoft declared its intentions to buy the US operations of the famous short-video sharing app TikTok, reports are now claiming that the tech giant might be looking at buying more of TikTok.

Talking with few insiders, a financial publication claimed Microsoft is planning to buy the global operations of the Chinese app TikTok.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-signs-executive-order-banning-transactions-with-tiktok-owner-after-45-days-318735">Also read:&nbsp;Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days</a>

Microsoft, however, has not given a confirmation on these speculations yet. As of now, the tech giant is looking to buy TikTok operations of North America,&nbsp;Australia and New Zealand. It is being reported that Microsoft is now trying to add India and Europe to this existing deal.

It has not been revealed what would be the selling amount of the social media app, however ByteDance executives value all of TikTok at more than $50 billion.

The report also claimed that Microsoft was in talks with TikTok's Chinese parent-company ByteDance for acquiring its operations in India, but the deal fell through before reaching any solid grounding.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-to-label-state-owned-media-and-officials-accounts-318746">Also read:&nbsp;Twitter to label state-owned media and officials' accounts</a>

TikTok has not issued any&nbsp;comment on this report ye, while Microsoft has declined a comment to the local media houses.

The report is being circulated after Trump gave TikTok a 45-day notice to either sell its operations to a US-based company or face a ban, citing national security issues.

After Microsoft declared its intentions to buy the US operations of the famous short-video sharing app TikTok, reports are now claiming that the tech giant might be looking at buying more of TikTok.

After Microsoft declared its intentions to buy the US operations of the famous short-video sharing app TikTok, reports are now claiming that the tech giant might be looking at buying more of TikTok. Talking with few insiders, a financial publication claimed Microsoft is planning to buy the global operations of the Chinese app TikTok. Also read: Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days Microsoft, however, has not given a confirmation on these speculations yet. As of now, the tech giant is looking to buy TikTok operations of North America, Australia and New Zealand. It is being reported that Microsoft is now trying to add India and Europe to this existing deal. It has not been revealed what would be the selling amount of the social media app, however ByteDance executives value all of TikTok at more than $50 billion. The report also claimed that Microsoft was in talks with TikTok's Chinese parent-company ByteDance for acquiring its operations in India, but the deal fell through before reaching any solid grounding. Also read: Twitter to label state-owned media and officials' accounts TikTok has not issued any comment on this report ye, while Microsoft has declined a comment to the local media houses. The report is being circulated after Trump gave TikTok a 45-day notice to either sell its operations to a US-based company or face a ban, citing national security issues.

Microsoft planning to buy TikTok's global business: Reports

US President Donald Trump has issued executive orders banning any transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days.

Trump had earlier agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of the popular short-video app to Microsoft Corp. He&nbsp;had said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15.

The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in one order,&nbsp;on Thursday.

"The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order... any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd."

In the other, Trump said WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans` personal and proprietary information."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-give-tiktoks-chinese-owner-45-days-to-agree-sale-317737">Also read |&nbsp;Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale</a>

The orders come&nbsp;as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats."

The order would effectively ban WeChat in the United States in 45 days by barring "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd."

Trump said last week he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft.

But following a discussion between Trump and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Redwood, Washington-based company said in a statement on Sunday that it would continue negotiations to acquire TikTok from ByteDance, and that it aimed to reach a deal by September 15.

The negotiations between ByteDance and Microsoft will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a US government panel that has the right to block any agreement.

The latest order also recalled the Indian action on banning the app. It said, "The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country."

"In a statement, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were 'stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India'."

India had banned 59 Chinese apps, including Tik Tok on June 29, days after the Galwan valley skirmish. The list has since then been widened.

(with inputs from Sidhant Sibal)

US President Donald Trump has issued executive orders banning any transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days.

US President Donald Trump has issued executive orders banning any transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days. Trump had earlier agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of the popular short-video app to Microsoft Corp. He had said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15. The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in one order, on Thursday. "The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order... any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd." In the other, Trump said WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans` personal and proprietary information." Also read | Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats." The order would effectively ban WeChat in the United States in 45 days by barring "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd." Trump said last week he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft. But following a discussion between Trump and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Redwood, Washington-based company said in a statement on Sunday that it would continue negotiations to acquire TikTok from ByteDance, and that it aimed to reach a deal by September 15. The negotiations between ByteDance and Microsoft will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a US government panel that has the right to block any agreement. The latest order also recalled the Indian action on banning the app. It said, "The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country." "In a statement, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were 'stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India'." India had banned 59 Chinese apps, including Tik Tok on June 29, days after the Galwan valley skirmish. The list has since then been widened. (with inputs from Sidhant Sibal)

Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days

Trump signs executive order banning any transactions with TikTok owner

China has accused the United States of "arbitrary political manipulation and suppression" after US President Donald Trump ordered restrictions against the owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok.

China's foreign ministry on Friday said it firmly opposes Trump's executive orders banning transactions with&nbsp;ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, and Tencent, owner of WeChat, starting in 45 days.

Beijing will defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing on Friday. He added&nbsp;the US move came at the expense of American users and companies.&nbsp;

Trump issued executive orders on Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-signs-executive-order-banning-transactions-with-tiktok-owner-after-45-days-318735">Also read |&nbsp;Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days</a>

The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats."

Trump had earlier agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of the popular short-video app to Microsoft Corp. He had said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15.

 
&nbsp;

China has accused the United States of "arbitrary political manipulation and suppression" after US President Donald Trump ordered restrictions against the owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok.

China has accused the United States of "arbitrary political manipulation and suppression" after US President Donald Trump ordered restrictions against the owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok. China's foreign ministry on Friday said it firmly opposes Trump's executive orders banning transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, and Tencent, owner of WeChat, starting in 45 days. Beijing will defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing on Friday. He added the US move came at the expense of American users and companies. Trump issued executive orders on Thursday. Also read | Trump signs executive order banning transactions with TikTok owner after 45 days The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats." Trump had earlier agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of the popular short-video app to Microsoft Corp. He had said he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a “substantial portion” of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on September 15.

China accuses US of 'political manipulation' over TikTok, WeChat ban

ByteDance founder and CEO&nbsp;Zhang&nbsp;Yiming&nbsp;is going through the worst phase of his life as his&nbsp;is creations are being banned abroad and&nbsp;is being called a traitor.

With an exit from the American market looking inevitable,&nbsp;told employees on Tuesday there were misunderstandings on Chinese social media about TikTok's situation in the United States and that the company could face more difficulties as anti-Chinese sentiment rose abroad.

Yiming's comments in a letter to ByteDance's Chinese employees came after the company and&nbsp;Zhang&nbsp;were heavily criticised on Chinese social media for entering into talks with Microsoft Corp to sell TikTok's US&nbsp;operations.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-troubled-times-for-tiktoks-founder-app-banned-abroad-slammed-in-china-as-traitor-318192/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"I actually understand (the criticism),"&nbsp;Zhang&nbsp;said in the letter. "People have high expectations of a company founded by a Chinese person which is going global but have little information about it. With lots of grievances towards the U.S. government, they tend to lash out at us with harsh criticism."

Since Monday, some users of China's Twitter-like Weibo have said they would uninstall ByteDance's Chinese short video app Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao because they believed ByteDance had given in too quickly to Washington.

Others urged ByteDance to learn from US&nbsp;giant Google, which opted to pull its search engine out of the Chinese market in 2010 after China asked it to censor its search results, rather than selling off its Chinese operations.

Zhang&nbsp;said some people had misunderstood the US&nbsp;situation. He said Washington's goal was not to force a sale of TikTok's US&nbsp;operations through the Committee of Foreign Investment in the US&nbsp;(CFIUS) but to ban the app, and there was a legal process ByteDance had no choice but to follow.

Zhang&nbsp;told staff on Monday in another internal letter that the company had started talks with a tech company so it could continue to offer the TikTok app in the United States.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump initially dismissed the idea of selling TikTok's US&nbsp;operations to Microsoft but changed his mind following pressure from some advisers and many in the Republican party, because banning TikTok could alienate many young voters.

Zhang&nbsp;also told employees that over the last two years, anti-Chinese sentiment had risen in many countries and the company must brace for more difficulties in the current atmosphere.

A powerful inter-agency body in the US, had opened a national security investigation into TikTok back in 2019.&nbsp;This committee looks into the national security implications of foreign investment deals in the US.

The probe was over an acquisition of an American social media app musical-ly which Bytedance had acquired three years ago.

Musical - ly was later merged with TikTok. But, Bytedance didn’t clear the deal with the committee. And, it believes that bytedance must now disinvest the entire american operations.

Trump has set the deadline for&nbsp;Bytedance's departure, that is,&nbsp;September 15 otherwise, TikTok will be banned in America.

After India banned Tiktok, the company is on the verge of getting banned in&nbsp;Australia and Japan.

Hundreds of anonymous users joined in under a post about Zhang’s letter, cursing him as a traitor of China, an American apologist and a coward, among many other labels.

Netizens are angry with the impending sale of TikTok and&nbsp;are cursing him. Armies of angry people began bombarding Zhang on Weibo. Reportedly, their accounts was suspended.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ByteDance CEO has hidden all his Weibo posts from the public, after patriotic netizens called him out for betraying Chinese interest for considering the TikTok US sale. 
 
A sign of this new era of techno-nationalism we are living in: <a href="https://t.co/traepYqUzd">https://t.co/traepYqUzd</a> w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/Colum_M?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Colum_M</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/bylijing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bylijing</a> <a href="https://t.co/76Z4H58EZ3">pic.twitter.com/76Z4H58EZ3</a>
— Zheping Huang (@pingroma) <a href="https://twitter.com/pingroma/status/1290474063073181696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Earlier today, a tweet claimed that all Weibo posts from zhang are now hidden from his profile.

Some of Zhang’s Weibo posts from the early 2010s, which can be seen by some as liberal-leaning, putting the entrepreneur in the rank of “public intellectuals.” The term has in recent years been thought of as derogatory, as internet patriots see the group as ignorant and worshippers of western values.

Now, in the rest of the world that tag is considered as a compliment. But in China, it’s an insult because, Chinese patriots see public intellectuals as ignorant, and worshippers of western values.

Bytedance has not betrayed the homeland. Tiktok is being banned because it cannot compromise on one thing: complete loyalty to the Chinese state&nbsp;and the Communist Party.

In 2018,&nbsp;a meeting was organised by the internal party committee of Bytedance to&nbsp;“implement the spirit of national propaganda”.

Chinese law requires every company to set up party committees within their organizations. They must have three or more members of the communist party. That’s how the Chinese state makes its presence felt in every boardroom of China.

In the past, tiktok has been caught blocking criticism against the Chinese state by censoring videos, posts against the&nbsp;Tiananmen square.

Tiktok has&nbsp;been accused of advancing China’s foreign policy aims. Now, it is being forced to either sell its business, or go offline.

ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming is going through the worst phase of his life as his is creations are being banned abroad and is being called a traitor. With an exit from the American market looking inevitable, told employees on Tuesday there were misunderstandings on Chinese social media about TikTok's situation in the United States and that the company could face more difficulties as anti-Chinese sentiment rose abroad.

ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming is going through the worst phase of his life as his is creations are being banned abroad and is being called a traitor. With an exit from the American market looking inevitable, told employees on Tuesday there were misunderstandings on Chinese social media about TikTok's situation in the United States and that the company could face more difficulties as anti-Chinese sentiment rose abroad. Yiming's comments in a letter to ByteDance's Chinese employees came after the company and Zhang were heavily criticised on Chinese social media for entering into talks with Microsoft Corp to sell TikTok's US operations. "I actually understand (the criticism)," Zhang said in the letter. "People have high expectations of a company founded by a Chinese person which is going global but have little information about it. With lots of grievances towards the U.S. government, they tend to lash out at us with harsh criticism." Since Monday, some users of China's Twitter-like Weibo have said they would uninstall ByteDance's Chinese short video app Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao because they believed ByteDance had given in too quickly to Washington. Others urged ByteDance to learn from US giant Google, which opted to pull its search engine out of the Chinese market in 2010 after China asked it to censor its search results, rather than selling off its Chinese operations. Zhang said some people had misunderstood the US situation. He said Washington's goal was not to force a sale of TikTok's US operations through the Committee of Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) but to ban the app, and there was a legal process ByteDance had no choice but to follow. Zhang told staff on Monday in another internal letter that the company had started talks with a tech company so it could continue to offer the TikTok app in the United States. US President Donald Trump initially dismissed the idea of selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft but changed his mind following pressure from some advisers and many in the Republican party, because banning TikTok could alienate many young voters. Zhang also told employees that over the last two years, anti-Chinese sentiment had risen in many countries and the company must brace for more difficulties in the current atmosphere. A powerful inter-agency body in the US, had opened a national security investigation into TikTok back in 2019. This committee looks into the national security implications of foreign investment deals in the US. The probe was over an acquisition of an American social media app musical-ly which Bytedance had acquired three years ago. Musical - ly was later merged with TikTok. But, Bytedance didn’t clear the deal with the committee. And, it believes that bytedance must now disinvest the entire american operations. Trump has set the deadline for Bytedance's departure, that is, September 15 otherwise, TikTok will be banned in America. After India banned Tiktok, the company is on the verge of getting banned in Australia and Japan. Hundreds of anonymous users joined in under a post about Zhang’s letter, cursing him as a traitor of China, an American apologist and a coward, among many other labels. Netizens are angry with the impending sale of TikTok and are cursing him. Armies of angry people began bombarding Zhang on Weibo. Reportedly, their accounts was suspended. ByteDance CEO has hidden all his Weibo posts from the public, after patriotic netizens called him out for betraying Chinese interest for considering the TikTok US sale. A sign of this new era of techno-nationalism we are living in: https://t.co/traepYqUzd w/ @Colum_M @bylijing pic.twitter.com/76Z4H58EZ3 — Zheping Huang (@pingroma) August 4, 2020 × Earlier today, a tweet claimed that all Weibo posts from zhang are now hidden from his profile. Some of Zhang’s Weibo posts from the early 2010s, which can be seen by some as liberal-leaning, putting the entrepreneur in the rank of “public intellectuals.” The term has in recent years been thought of as derogatory, as internet patriots see the group as ignorant and worshippers of western values. Now, in the rest of the world that tag is considered as a compliment. But in China, it’s an insult because, Chinese patriots see public intellectuals as ignorant, and worshippers of western values. Bytedance has not betrayed the homeland. Tiktok is being banned because it cannot compromise on one thing: complete loyalty to the Chinese state and the Communist Party. In 2018, a meeting was organised by the internal party committee of Bytedance to “implement the spirit of national propaganda”. Chinese law requires every company to set up party committees within their organizations. They must have three or more members of the communist party. That’s how the Chinese state makes its presence felt in every boardroom of China. In the past, tiktok has been caught blocking criticism against the Chinese state by censoring videos, posts against the Tiananmen square. Tiktok has been accused of advancing China’s foreign policy aims. Now, it is being forced to either sell its business, or go offline.

ByteDance founder defends TikTok's US strategy in staff letter

The next geopolitical battleground is the technology and it is not just China that is a target. Countries around the world are building borders for their internet.

Cutting off access for everything. From apps to even manpower.&nbsp;

Trump along with the prime ministers of Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom is citing a threat to national security to strike at Chinese tech titans.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-aftershocks-of-the-pandemic-tech-sector-is-the-new-battleground-318195/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

But, what’s happening right now is no game. Technology companies are feeling the aftershock of the pandemic. It began with TikTok.

India banned it first and now the United States might break it up. US President Donald Trump is willing to allow a deal.&nbsp;

The United States is trying to get reimbursed or be paid a substantial amount of money.&nbsp;

Donald Trump dealt another big blow to techies. This time he is targeting IT professionals of Indian-origin and shutting off another door for employment via the H1-B visa.

Trump has signed an order reserving government jobs for Americans. Now, American government agencies won’t be allowed to contract or subcontract foreign workers...

He said: "Today i am signing an executive order to ensure that the federal government lives by a very simple rule: hire American. We've been doing it at a level that hasn't been done, maybe ever."

In Europe, the union is taking on three countries with cyber sanctions.

For the first time, the European Union has imposed sanctions for cyber attacks.

A total of six people and three groups have been punished.

This includes four Russians. Allegedly part of the Russian GRU military agency.

Two Chinese nationals have been sanctioned for operation cloud hopper.

A hack that targeted different companies across six continents.

Northern Korean firm Chosun expo is the sixth name on the list.

World leaders are laying the foundations for post-pandemic world order. One that will be dictated by optic fibres and not weapons.

Big tech is now a geopolitical force and technology companies around the world can’t afford to stay above the political fray.

The next geopolitical battleground is the technology and it is not just China that is a target. Countries around the world are building borders for their internet.

The next geopolitical battleground is the technology and it is not just China that is a target. Countries around the world are building borders for their internet. Cutting off access for everything. From apps to even manpower. Trump along with the prime ministers of Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom is citing a threat to national security to strike at Chinese tech titans. But, what’s happening right now is no game. Technology companies are feeling the aftershock of the pandemic. It began with TikTok. India banned it first and now the United States might break it up. US President Donald Trump is willing to allow a deal. The United States is trying to get reimbursed or be paid a substantial amount of money. Donald Trump dealt another big blow to techies. This time he is targeting IT professionals of Indian-origin and shutting off another door for employment via the H1-B visa. Trump has signed an order reserving government jobs for Americans. Now, American government agencies won’t be allowed to contract or subcontract foreign workers... He said: "Today i am signing an executive order to ensure that the federal government lives by a very simple rule: hire American. We've been doing it at a level that hasn't been done, maybe ever." In Europe, the union is taking on three countries with cyber sanctions. For the first time, the European Union has imposed sanctions for cyber attacks. A total of six people and three groups have been punished. This includes four Russians. Allegedly part of the Russian GRU military agency. Two Chinese nationals have been sanctioned for operation cloud hopper. A hack that targeted different companies across six continents. Northern Korean firm Chosun expo is the sixth name on the list. World leaders are laying the foundations for post-pandemic world order. One that will be dictated by optic fibres and not weapons. Big tech is now a geopolitical force and technology companies around the world can’t afford to stay above the political fray.

Technology: World's next geopolitical battleground

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday there was no evidence that Chinese-owned TikTok had abused the data of its hundreds of millions of users.

"We have had a good look at this, and there is no evidence for us to suggest... that there is any misuse of any people's data," he told the Aspen Security Forum meeting in Aspen, Colorado.

"There are plenty of things that are on TikTok that are embarrassing enough in public, but it's that sort of social media device," he said via videoconference, chuckling.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australias-victoria-reports-deadliest-day-of-coronavirus-pandemic-318237" hreflang="en">Australia's Victoria reports deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic</a>

However, he said, Australians need to be "very aware" that TikTok and other social media platforms, including US-owned companies, reap enormous amounts of information on users and subscribers.

The difference with TikTok, he said, is "that information can be accessed at a sovereign state level," a reference to Chinese companies' legal obligation to share data with state intelligence services if they want it.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-says-unclear-whether-us-government-will-get-cut-of-tiktok-sale-318229" hreflang="en">White House says unclear whether US government will get cut of TikTok sale</a>

"But I think people should understand -- and there's a sort of buyer-beware process,&nbsp;there is nothing at this point that would suggest to us that security interests have been compromised."

Citing a national security threat, President Donald Trump on Monday gave TikTok's parent ByteDance six weeks to sell the app to an American company or find it shut down.

Microsoft is in talks with ByteDance, and any deal could include TikTok's Australia business. But Morrison downplayed the immediate threat.

"There is no reason for us to restrict those applications at this point. We'll obviously kep watching them."

Nevertheless, he stressed that people "need to understand where the extension cord goes back to."

Earlier, China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, told the Aspen Security Forum that the US move to force the sale of TikTok violated free market principles.

"There is such a degree of political intervention -- government intervention -- into the market, there is such discrimination against Chinese companies, and these companies are just private companies," he said.

"To accuse China of not giving American companies a level playing field while at the same time they themselves are denying Chinese companies such a level playing field, this is extremely unfair."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday there was no evidence that Chinese-owned TikTok had abused the data of its hundreds of millions of users. "We have had a good look at this, and there is no evidence for us to suggest.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday there was no evidence that Chinese-owned TikTok had abused the data of its hundreds of millions of users. "We have had a good look at this, and there is no evidence for us to suggest... that there is any misuse of any people's data," he told the Aspen Security Forum meeting in Aspen, Colorado. "There are plenty of things that are on TikTok that are embarrassing enough in public, but it's that sort of social media device," he said via videoconference, chuckling. Also read: Australia's Victoria reports deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic However, he said, Australians need to be "very aware" that TikTok and other social media platforms, including US-owned companies, reap enormous amounts of information on users and subscribers. The difference with TikTok, he said, is "that information can be accessed at a sovereign state level," a reference to Chinese companies' legal obligation to share data with state intelligence services if they want it. Also read: White House says unclear whether US government will get cut of TikTok sale "But I think people should understand -- and there's a sort of buyer-beware process, there is nothing at this point that would suggest to us that security interests have been compromised." Citing a national security threat, President Donald Trump on Monday gave TikTok's parent ByteDance six weeks to sell the app to an American company or find it shut down. Microsoft is in talks with ByteDance, and any deal could include TikTok's Australia business. But Morrison downplayed the immediate threat. "There is no reason for us to restrict those applications at this point. We'll obviously kep watching them." Nevertheless, he stressed that people "need to understand where the extension cord goes back to." Earlier, China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, told the Aspen Security Forum that the US move to force the sale of TikTok violated free market principles. "There is such a degree of political intervention -- government intervention -- into the market, there is such discrimination against Chinese companies, and these companies are just private companies," he said. "To accuse China of not giving American companies a level playing field while at the same time they themselves are denying Chinese companies such a level playing field, this is extremely unfair."

No evidence of TikTok misusing data, says Australian PM Scott Morrison

White House officials on Tuesday could not say how the US&nbsp;government would receive a portion of the proceeds from any sale of TikTok's US&nbsp;operations, one day after President Donald Trump called for a cut of the money.

"There's no specific blueprint here," White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Fox Business Network on Tuesday.&nbsp;

"It may be that the president was thinking, because the Treasury has had to do so much work on this, there are a lot of options here. I'm not sure it's a specific concept that will be followed through ... Regarding fees or anything like that, all that remains to be seen," Kudlow said.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/bytedance-founder-defends-tiktoks-us-strategy-in-staff-letter-318168" hreflang="en">ByteDance founder defends TikTok's US strategy in staff letter</a>

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, speaking to reporters at a separate briefing, also gave no other details and said she did not want to get ahead of Trump on the issue. She reiterated that the United States planned to take some action on Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, in coming days but gave no details. She twice declined to say how legally the United States could take a cut of the sale proceeds.

On Monday, Trump said he would ban the popular Chinese-owned short-video app on Sept. 15 without a sale to another company outside of China. Microsoft Corp has said it is in talks to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations.

Experts have said the U.S. government generally does not have the authority to take a cut of private business sales. But Trump, a real estate developer and former reality television star who has touted his "art of the deal," on Monday said "a very substantial portion" of any TikTok sale must go to the U.S. Treasury "because we’re making it possible for this deal to happen."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/it-goes-against-wto-principles-china-accuses-us-of-outright-bullying-over-tiktok-318088" hreflang="en">'It goes against WTO principles': China accuses US of 'outright bullying' over TikTok</a>

The president reiterated the call on Tuesday, saying at a news conference that he had told Microsoft that "whatever the price is, a very big proportion of that price would have to go to the Treasury of the United States."

Kudlow told Fox Business Network that such a provision may not be "a key stipulation."

White House officials on Tuesday could not say how the US government would receive a portion of the proceeds from any sale of TikTok's US operations, one day after President Donald Trump called for a cut of the money.

White House officials on Tuesday could not say how the US government would receive a portion of the proceeds from any sale of TikTok's US operations, one day after President Donald Trump called for a cut of the money. "There's no specific blueprint here," White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Fox Business Network on Tuesday. "It may be that the president was thinking, because the Treasury has had to do so much work on this, there are a lot of options here. I'm not sure it's a specific concept that will be followed through ... Regarding fees or anything like that, all that remains to be seen," Kudlow said. Also read: ByteDance founder defends TikTok's US strategy in staff letter White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, speaking to reporters at a separate briefing, also gave no other details and said she did not want to get ahead of Trump on the issue. She reiterated that the United States planned to take some action on Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, in coming days but gave no details. She twice declined to say how legally the United States could take a cut of the sale proceeds. On Monday, Trump said he would ban the popular Chinese-owned short-video app on Sept. 15 without a sale to another company outside of China. Microsoft Corp has said it is in talks to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations. Experts have said the U.S. government generally does not have the authority to take a cut of private business sales. But Trump, a real estate developer and former reality television star who has touted his "art of the deal," on Monday said "a very substantial portion" of any TikTok sale must go to the U.S. Treasury "because we’re making it possible for this deal to happen." Also read: 'It goes against WTO principles': China accuses US of 'outright bullying' over TikTok The president reiterated the call on Tuesday, saying at a news conference that he had told Microsoft that "whatever the price is, a very big proportion of that price would have to go to the Treasury of the United States." Kudlow told Fox Business Network that such a provision may not be "a key stipulation."

White House says unclear whether US government will get cut of TikTok sale

The US President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to the Chinese short-video sharing app TikTok to either sell its US operations to a US-based company or face the ban.

The President believes the Chinese parent company ByteDance is a tool for Chinese Intelligence. However, Trump has reportedly not provided any proof of this accusation.

The accusation, therefore, is being met with criticism from China.&nbsp;

Following the 'final warning' given to ByteDance from trump, the Editor-in-Chief of the state-run media house Global Times took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the whole situation.

Hu Xijin claimed that it is not just the Chinese companies but also the Chinese journalists who have been facing hostility from the Trump administration. He accused the US government of not renewing the visas of the Chinese journalists, and claimed that if situations do not improve, China will retaliate.

“Given that the US side hasn’t renewed visa of Chinese journalists, Chinese side has prepared for the worst scenario that all Chinese journalists have to leave the US,” Hu said on Twitter. “If that’s the case, Chinese side will retaliate, including targeting US journalists based in HK.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Based on what I know, after expulsion of more than 60 Chinese journalists by the US, the visa of other Chinese journalists will expire on Aug 6, but none of them have got their visa renewed. China-US conflict of expelling journalists could severely escalate. China will retaliate.
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1290281654653554688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

This is not the first time the two countries have got into a verbal war regarding journalists. Both the countries have been retaliating actions against each other for a few months now. The US put a limit on the number of Chinese journalists who would get a visa to travel to the US for work, and in return China fired three journalists from&nbsp;New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

Global Times is not the only Chinese media house&nbsp;that has expressed concerns about the US actions against Chinese companies.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
China urged some US politicians to stop politicizing economic issues and abusing the concept of national security after US Secretary of State Mike <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pompeo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pompeo</a> said the US plans to take broad action on Chinese software companies. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TikTok?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TikTok</a> <a href="https://t.co/tT8OAT0HLU">https://t.co/tT8OAT0HLU</a>
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChinaDaily/status/1290456839654641666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The&nbsp;China Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday that China will not accept the “theft” of Chinese technology company and will respond to the "bullying" by the US.

“China’s opening-up to the outside world and disintegrating the U.S. decoupling strategy should be priorities,” it said in an editorial.

The report also said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has expressed opinion on the situation and has claimed&nbsp;that the US has abused the concept of national security and is threatening a Chinese company without any evidence.&nbsp;"That has violated the principles of the market economy, exposed US hypocrisy of maintaining fairness and its typical double standards, and violated the World Trade Organization's principle of openness, transparency and nondiscrimination," the report quoted Wenbin.

The US President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to the Chinese short-video sharing app TikTok to either sell its US operations to a US-based company or face the ban.

The US President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to the Chinese short-video sharing app TikTok to either sell its US operations to a US-based company or face the ban. The President believes the Chinese parent company ByteDance is a tool for Chinese Intelligence. However, Trump has reportedly not provided any proof of this accusation. The accusation, therefore, is being met with criticism from China. Following the 'final warning' given to ByteDance from trump, the Editor-in-Chief of the state-run media house Global Times took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the whole situation. Hu Xijin claimed that it is not just the Chinese companies but also the Chinese journalists who have been facing hostility from the Trump administration. He accused the US government of not renewing the visas of the Chinese journalists, and claimed that if situations do not improve, China will retaliate. “Given that the US side hasn’t renewed visa of Chinese journalists, Chinese side has prepared for the worst scenario that all Chinese journalists have to leave the US,” Hu said on Twitter. “If that’s the case, Chinese side will retaliate, including targeting US journalists based in HK.” Based on what I know, after expulsion of more than 60 Chinese journalists by the US, the visa of other Chinese journalists will expire on Aug 6, but none of them have got their visa renewed. China-US conflict of expelling journalists could severely escalate. China will retaliate. — Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) August 3, 2020 × This is not the first time the two countries have got into a verbal war regarding journalists. Both the countries have been retaliating actions against each other for a few months now. The US put a limit on the number of Chinese journalists who would get a visa to travel to the US for work, and in return China fired three journalists from New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Global Times is not the only Chinese media house that has expressed concerns about the US actions against Chinese companies. China urged some US politicians to stop politicizing economic issues and abusing the concept of national security after US Secretary of State Mike #Pompeo said the US plans to take broad action on Chinese software companies. #TikTok https://t.co/tT8OAT0HLU — China Daily (@ChinaDaily) August 4, 2020 × The China Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday that China will not accept the “theft” of Chinese technology company and will respond to the "bullying" by the US. “China’s opening-up to the outside world and disintegrating the U.S. decoupling strategy should be priorities,” it said in an editorial. The report also said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has expressed opinion on the situation and has claimed that the US has abused the concept of national security and is threatening a Chinese company without any evidence. "That has violated the principles of the market economy, exposed US hypocrisy of maintaining fairness and its typical double standards, and violated the World Trade Organization's principle of openness, transparency and nondiscrimination," the report quoted Wenbin.

China will retaliate against US bullying Chinese companies and journalists: Chinese media

After calling for a ban on popular video sharing application TikTok, Trump on Monday said that the US government ought to get a “substantial portion” of sales coming in from operating the app in the US.

If no sale happens before or on September 15, the US president has promised to move forward with the ban.

According to Reuters, TikTok reportedly is valued at $50 billion.

"I did say that if you buy it, whatever the price is that goes to whoever owns it, because I guess it’s China essentially … I said a very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States because we’re making it possible for this deal to happen," Trump said.

Moving headquarters?

TikTok owner ByteDance may move its headquarters to London from Beijing under a deal approved by British ministers.

According to The Sun newspaper, ByteDanceâ€™s founders are to announce their intention to set up shop in London soon.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-threatens-to-sue-nevada-for-mail-in-ballots-317967" hreflang="en">Trump threatens to sue Nevada for mail-in ballots</a>

The move is expected to upset US President Donald Trump who has considered banning TikTok in the United States.

Microsoft Corp said on Sunday that it would continue discussions to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance, and that it was aiming to conclude the negotiations by September 15.

A buyout?

Microsoft had confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

"Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-sets-september-15-deadline-for-tiktok-sale-317963" hreflang="en">Donald Trump sets September 15 deadline for TikTok sale</a>

Meanwhile, Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

“Nobody else would be thinking about but me, but that's the way I think”, he added.

There is no clarity on how the US would receive part of the purchase price.

On Monday, TikTok said that it is "committed to continuing to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform as we build TikTok for the long term. TikTok will be here for many years to come."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-once-again-speaks-in-favour-of-reopening-schools-317915" hreflang="en">Donald Trump once again speaks in favour of reopening schools</a>

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while talking about WeChat on Sunday said Trump "will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party."

According to US officials, TikTok is a national risk owing to the personal data it controls.

After calling for a ban on popular video sharing application TikTok, Trump on Monday said that the US government ought to get a “substantial portion” of sales coming in from operating the app in the US.

After calling for a ban on popular video sharing application TikTok, Trump on Monday said that the US government ought to get a “substantial portion” of sales coming in from operating the app in the US. If no sale happens before or on September 15, the US president has promised to move forward with the ban. According to Reuters, TikTok reportedly is valued at $50 billion. "I did say that if you buy it, whatever the price is that goes to whoever owns it, because I guess it’s China essentially … I said a very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States because we’re making it possible for this deal to happen," Trump said. Moving headquarters? TikTok owner ByteDance may move its headquarters to London from Beijing under a deal approved by British ministers. According to The Sun newspaper, ByteDanceâ€™s founders are to announce their intention to set up shop in London soon. Also read: Trump threatens to sue Nevada for mail-in ballots The move is expected to upset US President Donald Trump who has considered banning TikTok in the United States. Microsoft Corp said on Sunday that it would continue discussions to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance, and that it was aiming to conclude the negotiations by September 15. A buyout? Microsoft had confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app. "Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement. Also read: Donald Trump sets September 15 deadline for TikTok sale Meanwhile, Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday. “Nobody else would be thinking about but me, but that's the way I think”, he added. There is no clarity on how the US would receive part of the purchase price. On Monday, TikTok said that it is "committed to continuing to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform as we build TikTok for the long term. TikTok will be here for many years to come." Also read: Donald Trump once again speaks in favour of reopening schools Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while talking about WeChat on Sunday said Trump "will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party." According to US officials, TikTok is a national risk owing to the personal data it controls.

Trump says US should get a 'substantial portion' of TikTok sales

US President Donald Trump said Monday that popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok would be "out of business" in the United States if it did not sell its US operations by September 15, preferably to an American buyer.

"I set a date of around September 15, at which point it's going to be out of business in the United States," he told reporters.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pathetic-us-president-trump-lashes-out-at-virus-coordinator-317921">'Pathetic!': US President Trump lashes out at virus coordinator</a>

"It'll close down on September 15th unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal."

Trump added pressure on TikTok's parent company ByteDance to reach a deal, after Microsoft confirmed over the weekend that the two sides were in talks and the White House backed off of Trump's threat of an immediate ban.

The United States maintains that TikTok collects users' personal data that the Chinese government can access and make use of for intelligence and other purposes, and the app has been under formal investigation on US national security grounds.

"You can't be controlled, for security reasons, by China. Too big, too invasive," Trump said, approving the Microsoft talks.&nbsp;

Geopolitics and security&nbsp;

Used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky 60 second videos on their cellphones, TikTok is the latest front in the ongoing political and trade battles between Washington and Beijing.

While the company denies its user data goes to the Chinese government, ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming recognized earlier Monday that it was under stiff pressure, and said they were working around-the-clock "for the best outcome."&nbsp;

"We have always been committed to ensuring user data security, as well as the platform neutrality and transparency," Zhang told employees in an internal statement, according to Chinese media.

However, he said, the company faces "mounting complexities across the geopolitical landscape and significant external pressure."&nbsp;

He said the company must confront the challenge from US security bodies and Trump, though "without giving up exploring any possibilities."

According to Britain's The Sun newspaper Monday, as a possible alternative move, ByteDance is planning to relocate TikTok's global operations to Britain.

Pushing back&nbsp;

Also on Monday China's foreign ministry pushed back against US pressure, calling Washington hypocritical for demanding TikTok be sold.

"The US is using an abused concept of national security and, without providing any evidence, is making presumptions of guilt and issuing threats to relevant companies," said spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

"This goes against the principle of market economy and exposes the hypocrisy and typical double standards of the US in upholding so-called fairness and freedom," he said.

Hugely popular with young people around the world, TikTok allows users to create and share videos of up to a minute, featuring dancing and lip syncs, commentary from the silly to serious, and sophisticated artistic clips.

TikTok denies it could be a tool for Chinese intelligence, and says data on its international users is kept on servers outside of China.

But on Sunday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the data that companies like TikTok are gleaning about Americans "could be their facial recognition pattern; it could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they're connected to."

On Monday Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said he backed a US company buying TikTok's US operations.

"A US company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and your data is safe," Schumer tweeted Monday.

"With TikTok in China, it's subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government. A safe way must be found for TikTok to continue."

Speaking at the White House Monday, Trump said he preferred if a "very American" company bought all of TikTok, rather than just a large stake.

But he also said that some of the money involved in such a deal should go to the US Treasury, for initiating it.

"A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States, because we're making it possible for this deal to happen," Trump told reporters.

"They don't have any rights unless we give it to them," he said.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok would be "out of business" in the United States if it did not sell its US operations by September 15, preferably to an American buyer.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok would be "out of business" in the United States if it did not sell its US operations by September 15, preferably to an American buyer. "I set a date of around September 15, at which point it's going to be out of business in the United States," he told reporters. Also read | 'Pathetic!': US President Trump lashes out at virus coordinator "It'll close down on September 15th unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal." Trump added pressure on TikTok's parent company ByteDance to reach a deal, after Microsoft confirmed over the weekend that the two sides were in talks and the White House backed off of Trump's threat of an immediate ban. The United States maintains that TikTok collects users' personal data that the Chinese government can access and make use of for intelligence and other purposes, and the app has been under formal investigation on US national security grounds. "You can't be controlled, for security reasons, by China. Too big, too invasive," Trump said, approving the Microsoft talks. Geopolitics and security Used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky 60 second videos on their cellphones, TikTok is the latest front in the ongoing political and trade battles between Washington and Beijing. While the company denies its user data goes to the Chinese government, ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming recognized earlier Monday that it was under stiff pressure, and said they were working around-the-clock "for the best outcome." "We have always been committed to ensuring user data security, as well as the platform neutrality and transparency," Zhang told employees in an internal statement, according to Chinese media. However, he said, the company faces "mounting complexities across the geopolitical landscape and significant external pressure." He said the company must confront the challenge from US security bodies and Trump, though "without giving up exploring any possibilities." According to Britain's The Sun newspaper Monday, as a possible alternative move, ByteDance is planning to relocate TikTok's global operations to Britain. Pushing back Also on Monday China's foreign ministry pushed back against US pressure, calling Washington hypocritical for demanding TikTok be sold. "The US is using an abused concept of national security and, without providing any evidence, is making presumptions of guilt and issuing threats to relevant companies," said spokesperson Wang Wenbin. "This goes against the principle of market economy and exposes the hypocrisy and typical double standards of the US in upholding so-called fairness and freedom," he said. Hugely popular with young people around the world, TikTok allows users to create and share videos of up to a minute, featuring dancing and lip syncs, commentary from the silly to serious, and sophisticated artistic clips. TikTok denies it could be a tool for Chinese intelligence, and says data on its international users is kept on servers outside of China. But on Sunday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the data that companies like TikTok are gleaning about Americans "could be their facial recognition pattern; it could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they're connected to." On Monday Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said he backed a US company buying TikTok's US operations. "A US company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and your data is safe," Schumer tweeted Monday. "With TikTok in China, it's subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government. A safe way must be found for TikTok to continue." Speaking at the White House Monday, Trump said he preferred if a "very American" company bought all of TikTok, rather than just a large stake. But he also said that some of the money involved in such a deal should go to the US Treasury, for initiating it. "A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States, because we're making it possible for this deal to happen," Trump told reporters. "They don't have any rights unless we give it to them," he said.

Donald Trump sets September 15 deadline for TikTok sale

Donald Trump on Monday said Microsoft can buy the Chinese-owned video app TikTok, but said the purchase would have to be completed by 15 September.

US approves Microsoft's plan to buy TikTok | Trump's Ultimatum to TikTok | US News

TikTok owner ByteDance may move its headquarters to London from Beijing under a deal approved by British ministers.

According to The Sun newspaper, ByteDance’s founders are to announce their intention to set up shop in London soon.

The move is expected to upset US President Donald Trump who has considered banning TikTok in the United States.

Microsoft Corp said on Sunday that it would continue discussions to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance, and that it was aiming to conclude the negotiations by September 15.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-confirms-exploring-buying-tiktok-in-us-after-trump-and-nadella-talk-317711">Also read | Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk</a>

Microsoft had confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

"Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

US officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles.&nbsp;

Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft.

It was not immediately clear what changed Trump's mind.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-give-tiktoks-chinese-owner-45-days-to-agree-sale-317737">Also read | Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale</a>

Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, would become a major competitor to social media giants such as FaceBook Inc and Snap Inc were its bid for TikTok to succeed.

TikTok owner ByteDance may move its headquarters to London from Beijing under a deal approved by British ministers. According to The Sun newspaper, ByteDance’s founders are to announce their intention to set up shop in London soon.

TikTok owner ByteDance may move its headquarters to London from Beijing under a deal approved by British ministers. According to The Sun newspaper, ByteDance’s founders are to announce their intention to set up shop in London soon. The move is expected to upset US President Donald Trump who has considered banning TikTok in the United States. Microsoft Corp said on Sunday that it would continue discussions to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance, and that it was aiming to conclude the negotiations by September 15. Also read | Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk Microsoft had confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app. "Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement. Meanwhile, Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday. US officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft. It was not immediately clear what changed Trump's mind. Also read | Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, would become a major competitor to social media giants such as FaceBook Inc and Snap Inc were its bid for TikTok to succeed.

TikTok owners may relocate to London from Beijing, Sun newspaper claims

President Donald Trump has agreed to give China’s ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp

Donald Trump to give TikTok owner 45 days to agree sale

ByteDance is surrounded in a new controversy, but this time it is the Chinese company accusing someone else, and not the other way around.

TikTok's Chinese parent company has accused the social media giant Facebook of plagiarism and smears.

"ByteDance has always been committed to becoming a global company. During this process, we have faced all kinds of complex and unimaginable difficulties, including the tense international political environment, collision and conflict of different cultures and plagiarism and smears from competitor Facebook," the company said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-confirms-exploring-buying-tiktok-in-us-after-trump-and-nadella-talk-317711">Also read:&nbsp;Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk</a>

The statement was issued on late Sunday night on its official account on Jinri&nbsp;Toutiao, a news aggregator app it owns.

While the company was prompt to accuse, there was no further explanation or details provided by the Beijing-based company.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-give-tiktoks-chinese-owner-45-days-to-agree-sale-317737">Also read:&nbsp;Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale</a>

This is not the first time TikTok and Facebook have been on each other's hit-list. Last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had accused TikTok&nbsp;of censoring political protest, which was denied by ByteDance.

Facebook has not yet responded to the accusation.

TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance has been in the news due to a possible ban in the US, as announced by the US President Donald Trump. The White House has further proposed a deal of Microsoft taking over the US operations of the short-video sharing app. A final decision is yet to be taken.

ByteDance is surrounded in a new controversy, but this time it is the Chinese company accusing someone else, and not the other way around. TikTok's Chinese parent company has accused the social media giant Facebook of plagiarism and smears.

ByteDance is surrounded in a new controversy, but this time it is the Chinese company accusing someone else, and not the other way around. TikTok's Chinese parent company has accused the social media giant Facebook of plagiarism and smears. "ByteDance has always been committed to becoming a global company. During this process, we have faced all kinds of complex and unimaginable difficulties, including the tense international political environment, collision and conflict of different cultures and plagiarism and smears from competitor Facebook," the company said in a statement. Also read: Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk The statement was issued on late Sunday night on its official account on Jinri Toutiao, a news aggregator app it owns. While the company was prompt to accuse, there was no further explanation or details provided by the Beijing-based company. Also read: Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale This is not the first time TikTok and Facebook have been on each other's hit-list. Last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had accused TikTok of censoring political protest, which was denied by ByteDance. Facebook has not yet responded to the accusation. TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance has been in the news due to a possible ban in the US, as announced by the US President Donald Trump. The White House has further proposed a deal of Microsoft taking over the US operations of the short-video sharing app. A final decision is yet to be taken.

TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance accuses Facebook of plagiarism

US President Donald Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

US officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft.

But following a discussion between Trump and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Redwood, Washington-based company said in a statement on Sunday that it would continue negotiations to acquire TikTok from ByteDance, and that it aimed to reach a deal by September 15.

It was not immediately clear what changed Trump's mind. Banning TikTok would alienate many of its young users ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, and would likely trigger a wave of legal challenges. Several prominent Republican lawmakers put out statements in the last two days urging Trump to back a sale of TikTok to Microsoft.

"A win-win in the making," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted in response to Trump's new stance on Sunday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-confirms-exploring-buying-tiktok-in-us-after-trump-and-nadella-talk-317711">Also read |&nbsp;Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk</a>

The negotiations between ByteDance and Microsoft will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a US government panel that has the right to block any agreement, according to the sources, who requested anonymity ahead of a White House announcement. Microsoft cautioned in its statement that there is no certainty a deal will be reached.

"Microsoft 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," Microsoft said in a statement.

ByteDance and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong's autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world's two largest economies.

Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, would become a major competitor to social media giants such as FaceBook Inc and Snap Inc were its bid for TikTok to succeed.

Under the proposed deal, Microsoft said it would take over TikTok's operations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users is transferred to and remains in the United States.

Microsoft may invite other American investors to acquire minority stakes in TikTok, the company added. About 70% of the outside capital ByteDance has raised has come from the United States.

It is not clear how much Microsoft could pay for TikTok. Reuters reported last week that ByteDance's valuation expectations for the app exceeded $50 billion, although US pressure to divest it could lower that price tag.&nbsp;

A key issue in the negotiations will be separating TikTok's technology from ByteDance's infrastructure and access, to alleviate US concerns about the integrity of personal data. ByteDance owns a Chinese short video app called Douyin that was based on the same code used for TikTok.

One idea under consideration is to give Microsoft and ByteDance a transition period to develop technology for TikTok that will be completely separate from ByteDance, one of the sources said.

APP SCRUTINY

The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Ordering the divestment of TikTok would not be the first time the White House has taken action over such concerns.

Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it bought in 2016, for $620 million after being ordered by CFIUS to divest.

In 2018, CFIUS forced China's Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify US citizens.

ByteDance was valued at as much as $140 billion earlier this year when one of its shareholders, Cheetah Mobile CMCM.N, sold a small stake in a private deal, Reuters has reported. The start-up's investors include Japan's SoftBank Group Corp.

US President Donald Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday. US officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft. But following a discussion between Trump and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Redwood, Washington-based company said in a statement on Sunday that it would continue negotiations to acquire TikTok from ByteDance, and that it aimed to reach a deal by September 15. It was not immediately clear what changed Trump's mind. Banning TikTok would alienate many of its young users ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, and would likely trigger a wave of legal challenges. Several prominent Republican lawmakers put out statements in the last two days urging Trump to back a sale of TikTok to Microsoft. "A win-win in the making," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted in response to Trump's new stance on Sunday. Also read | Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk The negotiations between ByteDance and Microsoft will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a US government panel that has the right to block any agreement, according to the sources, who requested anonymity ahead of a White House announcement. Microsoft cautioned in its statement that there is no certainty a deal will be reached. "Microsoft 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," Microsoft said in a statement. ByteDance and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong's autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world's two largest economies. Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, would become a major competitor to social media giants such as FaceBook Inc and Snap Inc were its bid for TikTok to succeed. Under the proposed deal, Microsoft said it would take over TikTok's operations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. Microsoft may invite other American investors to acquire minority stakes in TikTok, the company added. About 70% of the outside capital ByteDance has raised has come from the United States. It is not clear how much Microsoft could pay for TikTok. Reuters reported last week that ByteDance's valuation expectations for the app exceeded $50 billion, although US pressure to divest it could lower that price tag. A key issue in the negotiations will be separating TikTok's technology from ByteDance's infrastructure and access, to alleviate US concerns about the integrity of personal data. ByteDance owns a Chinese short video app called Douyin that was based on the same code used for TikTok. One idea under consideration is to give Microsoft and ByteDance a transition period to develop technology for TikTok that will be completely separate from ByteDance, one of the sources said. APP SCRUTINY The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Ordering the divestment of TikTok would not be the first time the White House has taken action over such concerns. Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it bought in 2016, for $620 million after being ordered by CFIUS to divest. In 2018, CFIUS forced China's Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify US citizens. ByteDance was valued at as much as $140 billion earlier this year when one of its shareholders, Cheetah Mobile CMCM.N, sold a small stake in a private deal, Reuters has reported. The start-up's investors include Japan's SoftBank Group Corp.

Trump to give TikTok's Chinese owner 45 days to agree sale

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

"Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement.

The statement came after rumours had been surfacing about Microsoft buying the US operations of TIkTok to save it from a complete closure.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The US President Donald Trump called for a ban of the app over concerns of the app being used by Chinese intelligence. Immediately after a ban was announced by the President, TikTok expressed its intentions of abandoning its Chinese owner ByteDance to be able to survive in the US.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier on Sunday that the President was set to announce strong action against TikTok. "President Trump has said, 'Enough,' and we're going to fix it," Pompeo said in an interview with a local media house.

"And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, the TikTok CEO left a message on the app for the users saying,&nbsp;"When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said.&nbsp;

"So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok," she continued.

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app. "Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement. The statement came after rumours had been surfacing about Microsoft buying the US operations of TIkTok to save it from a complete closure. × The US President Donald Trump called for a ban of the app over concerns of the app being used by Chinese intelligence. Immediately after a ban was announced by the President, TikTok expressed its intentions of abandoning its Chinese owner ByteDance to be able to survive in the US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier on Sunday that the President was set to announce strong action against TikTok. "President Trump has said, 'Enough,' and we're going to fix it," Pompeo said in an interview with a local media house. "And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party," he added. Earlier on Saturday, the TikTok CEO left a message on the app for the users saying, "When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said. "So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok," she continued.

Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk

The US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his plans to ban the popular&nbsp;video-sharing app TikTok. However, TikTok has assured that the app is not going anywhere.

Trump has been opposing the popular app claiming he fears that the app is being used by the Chinese intelligence through the app's owner company Bytedance.

However, a new deal is being considered between the White House and the parent-company Bytedance.&nbsp;Under the new proposed deal, ByteDance would exit completely and Microsoft Corp would take over TikTok in the United States, the sources said.

"The administration has very serious national security concerns over TikTok. We continue to evaluate future policy," the White House said in a statement.

To give an opportunity to the America-based investors, the deal will also allow these investors to own minor stakes in the business.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-plans-to-ban-tiktok-may-force-chinese-owner-to-sell-it-317388">Also read:&nbsp;Trump plans to ban TikTok, may force Chinese owner to sell it</a>

As the news spread,&nbsp;TikTok's general manager for the US, Vanessa Pappas, came forward to assure the users of the app that the company was trying to give them the&nbsp;"the safest app".

"We're not planning on going anywhere," Pappas said in a message released on the app.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%2FaXU9LzExNDQwNDY1L1dpb25ld3NfVmlkZW8vV2lvbmV3c19QcmVyb2xsJmRlc2NyaXB0aW9uX3VybD1bcGxhY2Vob2xkZXJdJmVudj12cCZpbXBsPXMmY29ycmVsYXRvcj0mdGZjZD0wJm5wYT0wJmdkZnBfcmVxPTEmb3V0cHV0PXZhc3Qmc3o9NjQweDQ4MCZ1bnZpZXdlZF9wb3NpdGlvbl9zdGFydD0xIn19LCJoZWFsdGhBbmFseXRpY3MiOnt9fSwiaHRtbDUiOnRydWV9" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

To save the app from a nation-wide ban, Bytedance is looking into selling its operations to a US-origin company. There have been local media reports claiming that Microsoft is in talks with the authorities for acquiring the app currently owned by the Chinese company.

However, Microsoft and Bytedance have not yet responded to the reports.

"While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok," representatives of TikTok told the media.

USing the opportunity, Pappas also mentioned that in additiona to the current 1,500 employees, the&nbsp;company is planning to generate an additional 10,000 jobs in the US in the next three years to serve the growing number of users.

"When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said.&nbsp;

"So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok."

The US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his plans to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok. However, TikTok has assured that the app is not going anywhere.

The US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his plans to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok. However, TikTok has assured that the app is not going anywhere. Trump has been opposing the popular app claiming he fears that the app is being used by the Chinese intelligence through the app's owner company Bytedance. However, a new deal is being considered between the White House and the parent-company Bytedance. Under the new proposed deal, ByteDance would exit completely and Microsoft Corp would take over TikTok in the United States, the sources said. "The administration has very serious national security concerns over TikTok. We continue to evaluate future policy," the White House said in a statement. To give an opportunity to the America-based investors, the deal will also allow these investors to own minor stakes in the business. Also read: Trump plans to ban TikTok, may force Chinese owner to sell it As the news spread, TikTok's general manager for the US, Vanessa Pappas, came forward to assure the users of the app that the company was trying to give them the "the safest app". "We're not planning on going anywhere," Pappas said in a message released on the app. × To save the app from a nation-wide ban, Bytedance is looking into selling its operations to a US-origin company. There have been local media reports claiming that Microsoft is in talks with the authorities for acquiring the app currently owned by the Chinese company. However, Microsoft and Bytedance have not yet responded to the reports. "While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok," representatives of TikTok told the media. USing the opportunity, Pappas also mentioned that in additiona to the current 1,500 employees, the company is planning to generate an additional 10,000 jobs in the US in the next three years to serve the growing number of users. "When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said. "So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok."

'Not planning to go anywhere': TikTok responds to Trump's ban announcement

US President Donald Trump has said TikTok would be banned in the country, and that he would he would sign an executive order as soon as Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said: "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States."

Additionally, some local media reports&nbsp;have claimed that Trump was trying for TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent firm on national security grounds. Two of the top-selling newspapers have claimed that Donald Trump wanted to&nbsp;order the sale of TikTok's US operations by China-based ByteDance, citing sharing of data with Chinese intelligence as the reason.

Reports have also claimed that Microsoft is in talks to acquire the famous video-sharing app.

However, no confirmation has been provided by Microsoft or TikTok.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiktok-owner-bytedance-ditches-us-considers-listing-china-business-in-hong-kong-317211">Also read:&nbsp;TikTok owner ByteDance ditches US, considers listing China business in Hong Kong</a>

Trump's announcement followed frantic negotiations on Friday between the White House, ByteDance and potential buyers of TikTok, including Microsoft Corp. They failed to produce a deal that would result in the Chinese company shedding the app's US&nbsp;operations, according to people familiar with the matter. The talks are expected to continue in the coming days.

Meanwhile, TikTok has refused to comment on the reports being circulated.&nbsp;"We are confident in the long-term success of TikTok. Hundreds of millions of people come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, including our community of creators and artists who are building livelihoods from the platform," TikTok told AFP.

This week, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer took to social media to express TikTok's commitment to transparency.&nbsp;"We are not political, we do not accept political advertising and have no agenda -- our only objective is to remain a vibrant, dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy," he said.

"TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/bytedance-investors-value-tiktok-at-50-billion-in-takeover-bid-316980">Also read:&nbsp;ByteDance investors value TikTok at $50 billion in takeover bid</a>

As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong’s autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world’s two largest economies.

The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Ordering the divestment of TikTok would not be the first time the White House has taken action over such concerns.

Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it bought in 2016, for $620 million after being ordered by CFIUS to divest.

In 2018, CFIUS forced China`s Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify U.S. citizens.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Donald Trump has said TikTok would be banned in the country, and that he would he would sign an executive order as soon as Saturday. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said: "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States.

US President Donald Trump has said TikTok would be banned in the country, and that he would he would sign an executive order as soon as Saturday. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said: "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States." Additionally, some local media reports have claimed that Trump was trying for TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent firm on national security grounds. Two of the top-selling newspapers have claimed that Donald Trump wanted to order the sale of TikTok's US operations by China-based ByteDance, citing sharing of data with Chinese intelligence as the reason. Reports have also claimed that Microsoft is in talks to acquire the famous video-sharing app. However, no confirmation has been provided by Microsoft or TikTok. Also read: TikTok owner ByteDance ditches US, considers listing China business in Hong Kong Trump's announcement followed frantic negotiations on Friday between the White House, ByteDance and potential buyers of TikTok, including Microsoft Corp. They failed to produce a deal that would result in the Chinese company shedding the app's US operations, according to people familiar with the matter. The talks are expected to continue in the coming days. Meanwhile, TikTok has refused to comment on the reports being circulated. "We are confident in the long-term success of TikTok. Hundreds of millions of people come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, including our community of creators and artists who are building livelihoods from the platform," TikTok told AFP. This week, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer took to social media to express TikTok's commitment to transparency. "We are not political, we do not accept political advertising and have no agenda -- our only objective is to remain a vibrant, dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy," he said. "TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy." Also read: ByteDance investors value TikTok at $50 billion in takeover bid As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong’s autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world’s two largest economies. The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Ordering the divestment of TikTok would not be the first time the White House has taken action over such concerns. Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it bought in 2016, for $620 million after being ordered by CFIUS to divest. In 2018, CFIUS forced China`s Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify U.S. citizens. (with inputs from agencies)

Trump plans to ban TikTok, may force Chinese owner to sell it

tiktok

Tiktok, News on Tiktok, stories on Tiktok, articles on Tiktok, Tiktok stories at Wion, Tiktok news, Tiktok latest news