Donald Trump 'will ban TikTok' as Microsoft opens talks over buyout

TikTok could be ordered divested from its Chinese parent firm under an order reportedly being prepared by US President Donald TrumpMore

TikTok has some 80 million users in the U.S., and around 1 billion worldwide.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to sign an executive order banning TikTok in the country as soon as Saturday, according to several reporters he spoke with aboard the presidential transport Air Force One on Friday evening. TikTok spokesperson Hilary McQuaide said, "TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access".

The popularity of the platform surged after ByteDance acquired US-based app Musical.ly in 2017 and merged it with its own video service.

Under ByteDance's new proposal, Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, will be in charge of protecting all of TikTok's U.S. user data, the sources said.

It also remains uncertain exactly what Trump's "ban" threat entails, or under what legal argument he'd block a Microsoft acquisition.

Trump has twice previously used this authority to block deals in which tech corporations from China and Singapore were poised to take over US-based companies.

Trump had told reporters earlier that "We're looking at TikTok, we may be banning TikTok". It appears that the US now sees any "big company" from China as a potential threat.

TikTok maintains it doesn't censor videos based on topics sensitive to China and it would not give the Chinese government access to U.S. user data even if asked. "We are looking at a lot of alternatives with respect to TikTok", Trump's voice can be heard saying as Sarah's mouth moves and her hair blows up in the air in the amusing TikTok video, which can be seen below.

James Murdoch resigns from News Corp board over editorial differences
James Murdoch , brother of News Corp head Lachlan Murdoch, is leaving the company, citing disagreements over editorial content. The resignation was effective Friday.

The reports come as President Trump threatens to ban TikTok in the usa, citing suspicions that the company's China-based parent, ByteDance, is sharing user data with the Chinese government.

Paired with the news, TikTok's official US Twitter account released a video on August 1 describing the jobs it brings to the nation, as well as the joy and livelihoods it has provided for millions.

The app is still now in use in the United States, with Trump potentially confirming the ban later on today.

As TikTok grew more popular, USA officials grew more concerned about the potential for the Chinese government to use the app to gain data on US citizens.

The proposed divestment would not necessarily affect TikTok's operations outside the United States, the report said. Chinese law can compel any domestic company to hand over all collected user data. "TikTok is a home for creators and artists to express themselves, their ideas, and connect with people across different backgrounds and we are so proud of the various communities that call TikTok their home".

The company pledged a high level of transparency, including allowing reviews of its algorithms, to assure users and regulators. But that was all about business and professional users, with clear connections back to many of Microsoft's core products. "I applaud the Trump administration for taking this critical step, but we must do more than simply remove ByteDance from the equation", Senator Marco Rubio said.

Federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne, who is deputy chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, has been advocating that TikTok be banned as a retaliatory action if the Chinese Government continues to engage in cyber attacks or economic coercion against Australia.

Related News:

02 August 2020

Beyonce's 'Black Is King' Is Dedicated to Just One of Her Kids
Black Is King is a love letter to Black and African culture with epic hair and makeup looks throughout the entire film. It comes after Beyoncé dropped a surprise song to celebrate "Juneteenth", releasing the track Black Parade .

01 August 2020

Federal Appeals Court Overturns the Boston Bomber's Death Sentence
A Boston jury convicted Tsarnaev on all 30 charges he faced in 2015, including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction. Tsarnaev was "scum" and "trash" and that he belonged in a "dungeon where he will be forgotten about until his time comes".

01 August 2020

COVID-19 app, backed by federal government, now available
The app then checks a list of codes from people several times a day from people who tell the app they've tested positive. Trudeau said the federal government is working with the Atlantic provinces to integrate their system with the app next.
01 August 2020

Coronavirus: Kawasaki-like symptoms being observed in young children
The other study , separate from the one at Children's, looked at data from NY state involving 95 patients with confirmed MIS-C. On the whole, children appear to contract SARS-CoV-2 less often than adults and have a milder course of disease when they do.

01 August 2020

Covid-19 and the heart; two new studies suggest connection
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), also found that around one in seven had evidence of severe dysfunction. But the scientists also discovered that the virus was actively replicating itself inside the tissue until the patient died.

01 August 2020

James O'Brien's reaction to Trump supporting "alien DNA" doctor
Her videos on COVID-19 was tweeted by Donald Trump Jr.as "must watch" and retweeted by President Donald Trump on Monday. However, a tweet that shows the viral video was removed from her profile where she says " I will not be silenced ".
01 August 2020

Tigers spotted in western Thailand for first time in four years
And in Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park the population has increased from only 10 tigers a decade ago to 22 in 2019. Tiger numbers are making a "remarkable comeback" in five of the countries the species is found, scientists say.

01 August 2020

COVID-19-infected women who dodged quarantine in Queensland charged
Queensland on Thursday recorded three new coronavirus cases, including two linked to a previously identified Sydney cluster. The sister of one of the positive cases has also returned a positive result. "They travelled on flights VA863 and VA977".

01 August 2020

New documents released on Ghislaine Maxwell's dealings with Jeffrey Epstein
Buckingham Palace has said that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" by the duke was "categorically untrue". Giuffre also reports seeing former President Bill Clinton on Epstein's private island.
01 August 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized Again For 'Minimally Invasive' Surgery
The stent had originally been placed last August, when Ginsburg was treated for a cancerous tumour on her pancreas. The cancer has arisen once more, this time in her liver, according to a report from the court.

01 August 2020

Epstein Associate Seeks to Prevent Release of Explicit Photographs
But Judge Loretta Preska says the public interest in the documents "far outweighed" the possible "embarrassment". She sued Maxwell for calling her account "obvious lies".

01 August 2020

Blue Ivy Carter makes cameo in Beyoncé's 'Black Is King' trailer
If you enjoyed this story, you might like to read about why Lin-Manuel Miranda let Disney change parts of "Hamilton." For the last several months, the singer had been teasing the release of her new film, which is exclusive to Disney +.