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TikTok sale to Walmart and Oracle shelved

by on11 February 2021


Looks like Trump overstepped authority

TikTok's forced sale to Walmart and Oracle has been shelved indefinitely as the Biden administration re-thinks the security approach to Chinese technology companies under former US President Donald Trump.

Trump ordered the popular video app, which is owned by China's ByteDance, be sold to an American company last year after a bunch of kids used the app to ruin one of his rallies. At the time Trump cited national security concerns about users' data falling into the hands of Chinese authorities. Trump's mate, Oracle's Larry Ellison stepped up with a bid to save the US from being taken over by China. 

However US courts said that the President had over stepped his authority. Just in case discussions have continued between ByteDance and US security officials at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.

Work arounds involved the use of a trusted third party to manage TikTok's data, which wouldn't require an outright sale. But no decision on how to resolve the issues is imminent as the Biden administration undertakes its own assessment of the risks of Chinese technology companies and data collection.

Last modified on 11 February 2021
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