TikTok has dismissed a report that it could sell its threatened US operations to Elon Musk as “pure fiction”.
The Chinese owners of the short video platform, ByteDance, face the prospect of a TikTok be closed permanently in America on Sunday.
It was then that a US government banfor reasons of national security, should come into force.
Last money: Spain proposes 100% tax on foreign-owned housing
But Bloomberg News reported that officials in Beijing, where TikTok’s parent company is based, were considering whether to allow a possible sale to the company. billionaire ownerif the order cannot be canceled or delayed.
Chinese authorities would prefer that TikTok’s US operations remain under the control of ByteDance.
They have always denied having influence over ByteDance and even less over TikTok – a position that both entities have supported, consistently denying any suggestion of collusion that would pose any threat to US interests.
TikTok has 170 million users in the United States. File photo: AP
The US Supreme Court has indicated it is willing to accept the Biden administration’s ban on the grounds that national security concerns outweigh the free speech rights of the 170 million citizens. American TikTok users.
It’s unclear when the final decision will be made, but the ban is expected to go into effect on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Learn more:
#TikTokrefugees floods social media app ahead of ban
Starbucks cancels store policy, UK impact unclear
Before the start of his second term in the White House, he asked the court to extend the deadline to allow for a “political resolution.”
Such a move would not stop Musk, a political ally, from potentially taking over TikTok if the impasse cannot be broken.
A TikTok spokesperson said in response to the report of the discussions: “We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction. »
Other potential buyers include Mr Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire businessman Frank McCourt.