TikTok will not be sold, Chinese owner tells US
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has said that it has no plans to sell the popular video app despite pressure from the US government.
“ByteDance doesn’t have any plans to sell TikTok,” the company posted on its official account on Toutiao, a social media platform it owns.
Earlier this week, TikTok said it would challenge in court the “unconstitutional” sell-or-ban measure signed into law on Wednesday.
Addressing rumours circulating in foreign media, ByteDance refuted claims of exploring a sale and dismissed them as false, sharing a screenshot of an article with the label “false rumour” stamped in Chinese characters.
Concerns have been mounting in the US and other Western nations over Beijing’s increasing control over private companies, particularly regarding ByteDance and the data it manages.
TikTok has repeatedly denied claims the Chinese government has control over ByteDance.
“We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts,” said TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew in a video posted on the platform this week.
“The facts, and the Constitution, are on our side… rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere.”
What’s the Chinese parent company of TikTok? – video
@verge The bill forces ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to either divest itself of the social media platform or else face a ban in the US. The president has already committed to signing it. #tiktok #tiktokban #news #technews #policy ♬ original sound – The Verge