/ground-report/media/post_banners/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/tik-tok.jpg)
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would ban the Chinese app TikTok in the US.
Trump told reporters that as far as Tiktok is concerned, we are banning it in the US. On emergency economic powers, the President said, "I have the right. I can do this with an executive order."
US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect Americans' personal data.
On the other hand, TikTok has denied such accusations of sharing data and is controlled by the Chinese government.
ALSO READ: Indian Govt bans 47 more Chinese apps : Here is everything about it
Tiktok has about 80 million active users in the US. ByteDance can undergo a major setback if it is banned.
Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to buy the app from ByteDance
According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is in talks with a billion-dollar deal for the acquisition of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok. The deal is expected to be completed by Monday.
TikTok is facing a national security investigation in the US; that is why Venture Investors has made several proposals to Zhang Yiming, CEO of ByteDance.
The valuation of TikTok in the US is between $20 and $40 billion, but most companies may find it difficult to take this step politically as Google, Facebook and Amazon are already facing parliamentary scrutiny, due to the good reputation of Microsoft is considered a good option.
ALSO READ: Trump says if China found guilty of spreading corona, then it will suffer
On the other hand, Trump says that he suspects that such a deal is hardly allowed to go through. If the deal went ahead, reports say it would involve ByteDance shedding TikTok's US operations.
India banned Chinese Apps
India has recently banned a total of 106 chinese apps, and TikTok was one of them. The most prioritized over data security as the app was very popular in India.
TikTok banned after the land dispute between the two countries at the border, which is still ongoing.
After the coronavirus outbreak in the world, which is originated from China led most of the countries of the world stood against China. It started questioning, and that led many countries to take firm measures against China on various matters.
Written by Shrey Srivastava, a Journalism graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. He writes for Politics, Education, and International affairs.
You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp, and mail us at [email protected] to send us your suggestions and writeups.
