ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is refusing to sell the algorithm behind the popular short-video app set to be banned by the Trump administration on September 15th.
American companies such as Microsoft and Oracle have been floated as potential purchasers of the app to ameliorate concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Now, however, these lucrative deals appear unlikely to materialize.
The Chinese Communist Party is keen on securing a victory for Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden and ceding control over a social media platform that could influence the 2020 election would stifle their ability to interfere with the election.
TikTok has swiped user data which many fear could be obtained by the Chinese Communist Party and has censored content at odds with party-peddled narratives on issues ranging from the Tiananmen Square massacre to Hong Kong protests.
Its parent company also retains close links to the Chinese Communist Party, as its founder and CEO declared he’d use his products to promote “socialist core values” in line with the Chinese government.
