President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is evaluating actions against TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned video app that has been a source of censorship and national security concerns.
Trump's comments came after published reports that the administration plans to order China's ByteDance to sell TikTok. There were also reports Friday that software giant Microsoft is in talks to buy the app.
"We are looking at TikTok," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We may be banning TikTok. We may be doing other things. There are a couple of options, but a lot is happening. Then we'll see what happens. "
Bloomberg News and Wall Street Journal reports citing unnamed sources said the administration could soon announce a decision ordering ByteDance to divest its property on TikTok.
There have been reports of tech giants and US financial firms that are interested in buying or investing in TikTok as the Trump administration turns their sights on the app. The New York Times and Fox Business, citing an unidentified source, reported Friday that Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok. Microsoft declined to comment.
TikTok released a statement on Friday saying "Although we did not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in TikTok's long-term success."
ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a popular video service among teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. A twin service, Douyin, is available to Chinese users.
TikTok's hilarious and fun videos and its ease of use have made it immensely popular, and US tech giants like Facebook and Snapchat see it as a competitive threat. He has said that he has tens of millions of US users and hundreds of millions worldwide.
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