TikTok's Culver City, California office: Popular with young users
Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / AFPUS President Donald Trump has signed a decree that puts the video platform TikTok and its Chinese parent company Bytedance under further pressure. On Saturday night, Trump ordered, among other things, that Bytedance had to destroy the data of all users in the United States within three months. Bytedance is also no longer allowed to own property in the USA that is used to operate TikTok.
There are credible indications that Bytedance could take steps that "impair the national security of the US," said Trump, explaining his actions on Friday. ByteDance did not comment at first.
In the USA, TikTok is faced with the charge of not ensuring data security. A good week ago, Trump had already banned business with ByteDance and the WeChat operator Tencent by decree - but suspended the execution of the order until mid-September. Should Bytedance not have sold the platform by then, that would mean the end of TikTok in the USA.
Microsoft is currently negotiating with Bytedance to take over the TikTok business in the US and several other countries. With the new measures, the US President is now even more economically flawed by Bytedance.
TikTok had announced that it would use legal means to defend itself against the impending ban. The video app has already been downloaded around 175 million times in the USA. It is particularly popular with young users. Bytedance denies giving user data to the Chinese government.
Icon: The mirrorlov / AP / dpa / Reuters