US authorities have given the Chinese owner of TikTok two more weeks
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US authorities have given the Chinese owner of TikTok two more weeks to sell the social media sensation in order to resolve national security concerns voiced by the Trump administration, according to a court filing.
A notice filed by TikTok owner ByteDance in federal court showed that authorities had extended the deadline originally set for Nov 12 to Nov 27.
The Trump administration, which has claimed that the popular video-sharing app could be used for Chinese espionage, has threatened to ban TikTok unless it is sold to American investors.
But the ban has been challenged in the courts.
“At the November 4, 2020 hearing on Plaintiffs’ renewed motion for preliminary injunction, the Court instructed the parties to keep the Court apprised of any developments in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process concerning Plaintiffs,” the document said.
“Pursuant to that request, Plaintiffs hereby notify the Court that on November 12, 2020, CFIUS granted an extension … for an additional 15 days, specifically, from November 12, 2020 to November 27, 2020.”
TikTok faced a deadline on Thursday to comply with the United States’ order to sell its US operations or be shut down, although the demand did not go into effect on time.
The Donald Trump-led administration announced that the enforcement of the TikTok ban would be delayed, citing a decision by a federal court in Pennsylvania in October to block the Commerce Department order. The administration has appealed the judge’s order that blocked restrictions on the application.
In August, the Trump administration threatened to ban the app in the United States, citing wider concerns about alleged Chinese government spying on data of Americans using China-originated social media.
The ban on TikTok was originally to take effect on Sept 20, but was later deferred to Nov 12 after the administration offered the company a way out by selling itself to a US entity. — NNN-AGENCIES
