US authorities give Chinese owner of TikTok two additional weeks to divest the application
By: A7 Staff
US authorities have given the Chinese owner of TikTok two additional weeks to divest the application in order to resolve national security concerns voiced by President Donald Trump’s administration, AFP reported on Saturday.
A notice filed by TikTok owner ByteDance in federal court showed that authorities had extended the deadline originally set for November 12 to November 27.
In August, Trump signed an executive order giving Americans 45 days to stop doing business with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, saying Chinese tech operations may be used for spying.
The company later announced it will challenge the crackdown on the service in court.
The administration contends that TikTok poses national security concerns as personal data collected on 100 million Americans who use the app could be obtained by China’s government. TikTok denies the allegations.
The latest filing said the deadline set by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews corporate deals for national security implications, had been extended.
A statement from the US Treasury said the extension “will provide the parties and the Committee additional time to resolve this case in a manner that complies with the order” signed in August by Trump for ByteDance to reverse its acquisition of TikTok forerunner Musical.ly.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department said it would delay implementation of Trump’s policy to comply with a court order in TikTok’s favor.
The Trump administration has been challenged over its decision in at least two US courts.
TikTok and its parent firm have filed suit in the capital, while TikTok “creators” have a separate case pending in a Pennsylvania court, which blocked the ban on October 30.
The White House has said TikTok must become a US firm controlled by American investors to avert a ban.
A deal appeared to take shape earlier this year which would allow Silicon Valley giant Oracle to be the data partner for a newly incorporated TikTok Global, with Walmart joining as a commercial partner.
While Trump signaled his approval for the plan, it has not been finalized and the prospects remain unclear. (INN)
