The Wall Street Journal reports TikTok parent company ByteDance is in discussions with the U.S. government discussing the possibility of avoiding a full sale of the app.
The report says discussions between ByteDance and U.S. officials have been underway for months. But as the September 20 date quickly grows near, they have taken on “increased urgency.”
President Donald Trump in August signed an executive order giving China-based ByteDance 90 days to sell its TikTok business in the United States, citing evidence of possible national security threats. In the order, the Trump administration claimed there is “credible evidence” to suggest ByteDance “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.”
The talks are likely complicated a bit by the Chinese government restrictions on artificial intelligence exports, which could make the sale of TikTok much more difficult.
ByteDance has been in talks to sell the app to numerous U.S. firms, including Walmart, Oracle, and Microsoft. Any sale must be finalized by September 20.
(Via AppleInsider)
