At a time when TikTok is facing heat regarding its data gathering practices, it is being reported that Microsoft could be a potential buyer for the ByteDance-owned short-video social media platform.
The development comes at a time when the U.S. government is considering to ban the application in the country. India has already banned TikTok, along with dozens of other Chinese applications.
It is also being reported that the Trump administration is considering an order to force ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok in the United States. The order is said to come “as soon as Friday.” It is unclear if the U.S. President has the power to order a foreign company to sell its stake in a business.
The development comes amid concerns from the lawmakers about Chinese government’s ability to use TikTok for obtaining data on American citizens. In a statement to Business Insider, a TikTok representative didn’t confirm the development but said, “While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok.”
This is an interesting development and Microsoft seems like an odd fit as the company doesn’t have any casual social media platform and anything close to that is LinkedIn, which is aimed towards professionals.
We expect more information about emerge regarding this in the coming days. However, this is just a rumor at this point in time and we would advise you to take this with a pinch of salt.
