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Trump Signs Executive Order Demanding ByteDance Sell US TikTok Operations in Three Months

Trump Signs Executive Order Demanding ByteDance Sell US TikTok Operations in Three Months
folder_openUnited States access_time3 years ago
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By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding that ByteDance, a company behind the TikTok video app, sell US TikTok operations within 90 days.

"In order to effectuate this order, not later than 90 days after the date of this order, unless such date is extended for a period not to exceed 30 days, on such written conditions as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States [CFIUS] may impose, ByteDance, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and Chinese shareholders, shall divest all interests and rights in: any tangible or intangible assets or property, wherever located, used to enable or support ByteDance's operation of the TikTok application in the United States, as determined by the Committee", the order said.

TikTok has been facing pressure in the United States amid concerns that it could pose a threat to national security - an allegation Trump reiterated in his executive order.

"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 his order.

Earlier, POTUS announced that he intended to ban TikTok in the United States over security concerns, demanding that ByteDance sell US operations to an American-owned firm. In early August, Microsoft confirmed reports of being in talks to purchase TikTok, noting, however, that there was no assurance that a deal would take place. Reports emerged suggesting that Twitter was also considering a "combination" with the video app.

Responding to allegations regarding national security threats, TikTok dismissed any "dependence" on the Chinese Communist party, insisting that all American data is kept in the US and has never been shared with the Chinese government.

Beijing denounced the actions of the Trump administration toward TikTok, insisting that forcing the sale of the app violated US free market principles.

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