Microsoft In Talks To Buy Tik-Tok’s US Operations

After Chinese app Tik-Tok got banned in India, US President Donald Trump had told the media that the US government was looking for an alternative to the app. Following this, on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that ‘Microsoft’ is in talks to buy Tik-Tok.

ALSO READ: PhD Scholars Demand Tenure Extension In View Of COVID-19 Crisis

“A deal could be completed by Monday according to the people familiar with the matter. And talks involve representatives from Microsoft, ByteDance and the White House. Talks are fluid and a deal may not come together”, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the report, Microsoft, headed by Satya Nadella, is in talks to acquire US operation of Tik-Tok. Earlier, the company’s interest in the app was reported by Fox Business Network.

Recently, the Indian government banned 106 Chinese apps owing to the safety and privacy concerns of Indian users. The video making app Tik-Tok was also one of them. Since the ban, the company has been asked to give details about how it deals with user’s data and personal information. Following this, the US President also stated that the government was looking to ban the app in the country.

The administration has been deciding on to direct ByteDance Ltd to divest its stake in Tik-Tok’s US operations. Also, there are chances that other potential buyers like Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc., might come forward for the same. But at present, only Microsoft has landed into advanced talks with the company.

Earlier, US Secretary Mike Pompeo had accused the app of collecting personal information of its users. Similarly, Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal had asked for an investigation into the operation of foreign apps like Zoom and Tik-Tok.

Tik-Tok is a Chinese app owned by ByteDance Ltd. The social media platform allowed users to create videos on songs. They could add effects as they wish. Within a short time, the app managed to attract more than a million users across the world. After it got banned in India, Instagram came up with its video making feature called ‘Reels’. It is similar to Tik-Tok and is an attempt by Instagram to fill the gap after Tik-Tok’s ban.

ALSO READ: National Education Policy: Criticism All Over, A Policy With Unrealistic Targets?

You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp, and mail us at [email protected] to send us your suggestions and writeups