TikTok will not be postponed again for the sale of the American branch

The US government has ruled that ByteDance will not be granted a reprieve from selling TikTok to an American company. Previously, a postponement had already been granted, but a new request was rejected.

Reuters news agency reports this on the basis of two sources. A government official then confirmed that ByteDance is being talked about divesting the US arm of TikTok. However, no further details were disclosed, making it unclear whether a deal is already in the works.

Last month, the US government decided to extend the deadline for divesting the US branch to November 27. That gave ByteDance more time to find a buyer for TikTok. ByteDance submitted a new request for a postponement, but this was not honored. Incidentally, there is still a ban on the forced sale by a decision of a federal judge.

The US decided some time ago that TikTok poses a threat to national security because the Chinese-made app could potentially be used to steal Americans’ data. The developers behind the app deny that this is the case. US President Trump issued a decree requiring ByteDance to divest its US operations.