Microsoft's takeover would be a win for TikTok and tech giants - not users
In what seems to be a common occurrence, Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is once again
in the headlines.
After
months of speculation about national security risks and
users’ data being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party, US President Donald
Trump has announced plans to
ban TikTok in the United States any day now.
In response, a deal is being negotiated between TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and US
software giant Microsoft. If
successful, Microsoft will
take over the app’s operations in the US and potentially also in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A
US ban would not be unprecedented. India barred TikTok last month, alongside
dozens of other Chinese-owned apps and websites.
The Microsoft deal
According
to reports, ByteDance has agreed to sell some of its TikTok
operations to Microsoft. The deal, which is unlikely to progress before mid-September,
would appease US regulators and could be seen as a way forward for TikTok in Australia.
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