July 31, 2020
By: Staff Report
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Sources say that President Trump will sign an order requiring ByteDance to sell its ownership of the US-based video-sharing app TikTok, according to Bloomberg.
On July 6th, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the administration was “certainly looking at” banning TikTok in the country, but not being able to explain exactly how it planned to do it.
“We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo said at the time. “With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right too.”
“Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party,” Pompeo remarked when asked if he would recommend people to download TikTok.
TikTok responded to in an emailed statement to Reuters, “We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
Earlier today, reporter Charles Gasparino tweeted,
CONFIRMED; sources say @Microsoft in talks to buy https://t.co/1q4Y8HRbjG
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) July 31, 2020