Donald Trump gives ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok's US business

The Chinese app TikTok, which has one billion users, threatens to take legal action after the radical measures decreed by US President Donald Trump. Olivier DOULIERY / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The US president signed a decree on Friday August 14 to twist the arm of the Chinese firm. Microsoft is still in the line to buy these activities.

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After repeating them many times , Donald Trump is carrying out his threats. He signed a decree forcing ByteDance, the Chinese group that owns the TikTok application, to sell its American activities within three months. The US president accuses the firm of collecting data from its users for the benefit of Beijing.

There is credible evidence which leads me to believe that ByteDance [...] could take measures which threaten to harm the national security of the United States  ", explains the presidential decree which also requires that the buyer be American.

This case comes in the midst of trade and political tensions between the two countries. Some steps have already been taken by US authorities against TikTok and WeChat messaging platform.

The future of TikTok in Microsoft's hands

The negotiations are open between ByteDance and Microsoft, could redeem, at a minimum, TikTok US operations. Such an operation is evaluated between 10 and 30 billion dollars by the American press.

According to online security experts, TikTok would not pose a major threat to the country, especially since network data is stored on servers in the United States and Singapore.

But that is not enough to calm the American president. According to Friday's decree, ByteDance will have to confirm that it has destroyed all data "  of American users, obtained or derived from TikTok and Musical.ly  ", an American application which had been bought by the Chinese company and merged into TikTok.

Also to listen: TikTok, WeChat: "  There is something to see the end of the American omnipotence in social networks  "

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  • China
  • United States
  • Donald trump
  • New technologies
  • Social networks

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