TikTok has run afoul of the US government, just like other Chinese companies before it. With the US and other countries concerned over the use of data from users of the video platform, and despite the protestations and insistence of no wrong-doing by TikTok the US looks set to act on it.
In his ever-growing nature of making the world ever more US-centric President Trump is set to announce a decision to make ByteDance Ltd sell its ownership of TikTok. In his most eloquent of speeches (which is a very low bar) Trump said:
“We are looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok. We are looking at a lot of alternatives with respect to TikTok.”
Although we are unsure he understands how apps work and you coming up with an “alternative” to an app does not make it successful he seems set to go ahead with his plans as early as today. The statement by Trump has not been confirmed by the White House as they most likely madly scramble to deal with the fall out of yet another one of his random brain farts.
The suggestion is that data obtained by TikTok could be handed over to the Chinese government and despite TikTok putting in safeguards to prevent this from ever happening the fear is still there. TikTok, the company, has been looking at ways of distancing itself from its Chinese owners/shareholders and this could well provide the impetus for that to occur.
So who would buy TikTok? How about Microsoft? A Fox Business News personality has suggested that one interested buying is Microsoft, although it is unclear how this will fit into their suite of apps — LinkedIn TikTok?
CONFIRMED; sources say @Microsoft in talks to buy https://t.co/1q4Y8HRbjG
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) July 31, 2020
We are unsure how this will affect TikTok worldwide but you would hope that for those that love it it does not change it at all and for the rest of us that it dies a quick death.
If the US Government is able to force this sale it may signal changes in the future — what else could they force to be sold? Do more apps need to be careful going forwards not to invoke the ire of the US Government? We will keep you posted of any developments.
This article needs a poll.
Option 1: ‘Dies a quick death’
Option 2: ‘Doesn’t change’
If Microsoft is considering acquiring TikTok, it likely won’t be for the anti-social nyetworking side of it. It’ll likely be for MS getting their hands on the data encryption and live real time code obfuscation. Getting that data and its patents would be a worthwhile target.
Which makes me wonder why none of the other major online corporations (Fakebook, Twatter, Rotten Fruit Co., Amazon, Google, etc) are not being rumoured to, or are being confirmed as going after, acquiring TikTok. Why only MS?
Reading on other articles he wants a ban as opposed to sale. Sounds like he really wants to screw over byte dance as they would make quite a bit if sold.
if it is sold to American company, will the CIA have access to the data?
How about reporting a story and keeping your political bias out of it.
It was barely a few quips?
If you love the Oompa Loompa so much then you should respect freedom of speech.
I’m pretty sure most people outside the US (and a vast majority within) believe he’s 100% not fit for the job as well.
He can have his freedom of speech. There is enough politics everywhere at the moment. I come here to read tech stories not indulge in the authors political opinions. Again I’m not visiting this page to get into politics I don’t want to see it or hear it on a tech page. If I wanted to see politics I’d go to a political page.
Ausdroid have come under criticism in the comments section in the past for the overtly political articles they sometimes post.
I don’t normally think it’s too much but this article could have been toned down a bit.
Poor baby throwing a tantrum like that. You know you don’t need to access this site, if you love 45 so much join the other single cells and watch Fox news.
Exactly my point. If I wanted to watch that I’d do precisely that go to a political page. I never expressed any political views apart from the point I didn’t want to see it here. You rush to an assumption and a what do you do? You are rude from the offset that is the reason why I don’t see it as necessary on a tech page.
Can’t stand the guy but I agree with some other posters on here – I’d prefer the reporting be methodical and save opinions for things like “is the headphone jack relevant” , “is OLED a superior technology after all?” , “Does anyone really want a small phone” , “are macro lenses useful”
Its a common feature here unfortunately. They published an article and said they’d change it but a couple months later they started doing the same thing again.