President Donald Trump has actually revealed he is prohibiting the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok in the US.
He told press reporters he could sign an executive order as early as Saturday.
US security authorities have actually expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could be utilized to collect the individual information of Americans.
TikTok has denied allegations that it is controlled by or shares information with the Chinese government.
The fast-growing app has up to 80 million active month-to-month users in America and the ban would be a major blow for ByteDance.
” As far as TikTok is worried, we’re banning them from the United States,” Mr Trump told press reporters aboard Air Force One.
It was not immediately clear what authority Mr Trump has to ban TikTok, how that restriction would be enforced and what legal obstacles it would face.
Microsoft has supposedly been in talk with buy the app from ByteDance, however Mr Trump appeared to cast doubt that such a deal would be enabled to go through. If the deal went on reports state it would involve ByteDance shedding TikTok’s United States operations.
A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment on Mr Trump’s mooted ban, but told US media outlets the business was “positive in the long-lasting success of TikTok” in the United States.
The transfer to ban TikTok comes at a time of heightened stress between the Trump administration and the Chinese government over a variety of concerns, consisting of trade conflicts and Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.