Microsoft has said TikTok’s parent company ByteDance will not be selling it the popular social media platform.
In a statement on the Microsoft Corporate Blogs, Microsoft said it was “confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests.”
“ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok’s US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas.”
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Microsoft was one of the leading suitors for TikTok’s US operations, and CEO Satya Nadella was in discussions with US President Donald J. Trump to help explore this potential purchase.
Microsoft had previously stated it hoped to complete these discussions by September 15, 2020, as Trump had put in place an executive order to stop any transactions with ByteDance after 45 days. However, it was moved to 90 days shortly after, which will now be November 12.
This all stemmed from TikTok becoming under scrutiny from the Trump administration. TikTok’s issues have been going on for some time, with lawmakers and the Trump administration questioning “whether the app is susceptible to influence from the Chinese government, including potential requests to censor material shared on the platform or to share American user data with Chinese officials.”
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Source: IGN.com Microsoft Says ByteDance Will Not Sell It TikTok's US Operations