Trump issues fresh order telling TikTok to sell its interest in Musical.ly
US President Donald Trump late Friday lashed out anew at ByteDance, issuing a brand new executive order stating the Chinese internet giant must sell its interest in the Musical.ly software it bought and merged with TikTok.
The order builds on sweeping restrictions issued the other day by Trump that TikTok and WeChat end all operations in america, his latest explosive moves targeted at countering China’s rising global power.
ByteDance bought karaoke video iphone app Musical.y from a Chinese rival around three years ago in a deal valued at almost a billion dollars. It had been incorporated into TikTok, which became a worldwide sensation.
Trump’s order contends there is “credible evidence” leading him to assume that ByteDance’s take-over of Musical.ly “threatens to impair the national security of america.”
“As we’ve said previously, TikTok is loved by 100 million Americans because it is a home for entertainment, self-expression, and connection,” ByteDance said in response to an AFP inquiry.
“We’re focused on continuing to bring happiness to families and meaningful careers to those that create on our platform for quite some time to come.”
The order set to take effect in 3 months retroactively prohibits the acquisition and bars ByteDance from having any interest in Musical.ly.
Trump ordered that any sale of interest in Musical.ly in america had to be signed off on by the Committee on Foreign Investment, which is usually to be given usage of ByteDance books.
In addition, it ordered that any saved user data be destroyed.
Trump last week made good on threats against WeChat and TikTok-two Chinese-owned applications with major audiences that US officials say pose a national security threat.
Through an earlier executive order he gave Americans 45 days to avoid employing the platforms, effectively setting a deadline for a potential, under-pressure sale of TikTok to Microsoft.
Trump has also needed the US government to be cut in on the offer, a stance slammed by critics who said it appears unconstitutional and comparable to extortion.
Last week’s move also threw into doubt the US businesses of WeChat’s parent firm, Tencent, a powerful player in the gaming industry and among the world’s richest companies.
China condemned the move as “arbitrary political manipulation”.
Trump has claimed TikTok could be employed by China to track the places of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.
TikTok-used by as much as a billion people worldwide to create quirky, short-form videos on the cellphones-has repeatedly denied sharing data with Beijing.
WeChat is a messaging, social media and electronic payment platform and is reported to have significantly more than a billion users, with many preferring it to email.
The most recent US actions follow a protracted battle over Huawei, the Chinese network and smartphone giant accused by the Trump administration to be an instrument for espionage.
