ByteDance, the China-based owner of TikTok, has stated that it has no intentions of selling the popular social media service, despite the new law that mandates it to either divest ownership within 12 months or face a ban in the United States.
On Thursday, ByteDance took to Toutiao, a Chinese social media service it owns, to address and dismiss the reports suggesting that the company is contemplating selling TikTok. In a statement, ByteDance unequivocally stated that these reports are unfounded and untrue.
According to the statement, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has clarified that they currently have no intentions of selling TikTok.
Just two days after President Joe Biden officially signed the TikTok divest-or-ban measure into law, TikTok is already gearing up for a legal battle. In a video message posted on the platform, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew confidently stated that “the facts and the Constitution are on our side.” He also mentioned that they expect to come out victorious once again, referring to the previous unsuccessful attempt by Montana to ban the app, which was halted by a federal judge in November.
TikTok and ByteDance are now engaging in a heated battle with U.S. lawmakers regarding the future of the popular video app. This clash arises due to concerns over ByteDance’s connections to China, with apprehensions that the company may potentially share data about American users with China’s authoritarian government. Consequently, lawmakers have passed a ban law in an effort to address these concerns and protect user privacy. The addictive nature of TikTok, characterized by its never-ending scrolling, further amplifies the significance of this ongoing dispute.
In a recent interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, expressed concerns about the potential national security risk posed by granting the Communist Party access to a powerful propaganda tool and the ability to collect personal data from 170 million Americans. Warner emphasized the importance of considering the implications of such a move.
In a recent post on Toutiao, ByteDance shared a screenshot of a headline from The Information, a tech-focused business publication. The headline stated, “ByteDance exploring options for selling TikTok without algorithm.” ByteDance, in a post written in Mandarin, dismissed this headline as a mere rumor by stamping the Chinese character for “rumor” over it.
CBS MoneyWatch did not respond to a request for comment from The Information.
TikTok responded to the report by stating, “The Information story is inaccurate. The law passed by Congress and signed by the President was intended to result in a TikTok ban.”
Already banned in some countries
TikTok has faced bans in several countries and restrictions on government-issued devices in others, primarily due to concerns over privacy and cybersecurity. Notably, India has implemented a nationwide ban on TikTok since 2021, while in Canada, the app is prohibited on federal government devices. These measures reflect the official apprehensions surrounding the app.
TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, is not accessible in mainland China. This was acknowledged by CEO Chew during his testimony to U.S. lawmakers. In its place, ByteDance provides Chinese users with the app called Douyin, which operates under strict censorship regulations imposed by the Chinese government. Additionally, TikTok has discontinued its services in Hong Kong following the implementation of a comprehensive national security law by the Chinese authorities.
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