TikTok owner ByteDance has again denied that it considered divesting the US operations of its popular short video platform, in response to a report by The Washington Post on Wednesday that such a plan existed in 2022.
In a brief statement on Thursday, Beijing-based ByteDance called on Chinese social media not to spread such misinformation after declaring the report as untrue.
The official denials issued by ByteDance show the company’s confidence in challenging the legality of the US government’s divest-or-ban measure against the social media platform.
US President Joe Biden speaks after signing a US$95 billion foreign aid bill and a measure to ban TikTok in America at the White House on April 24, 2024. Photo: AFP
Their lawsuit argues that the law violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects free speech, as well as several other constitutional provisions.
ByteDance’s hardline stance against the US measure has earned the company public praise on the mainland for being “tough” against Washington.
The facade of TikTok’s offices in Los Angeles, California. Photo: EPA-EFE
The Chinese government, meanwhile, has indicated that it would strongly oppose a forced sale of TikTok. Privately held ByteDance is subject to Chinese laws, which means regulatory authorities can veto any deal involving the sale or transfer of the platform’s technology.
In 2020, China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology introduced regulations that would require government approval before ByteDance can sell or transfer the algorithms that power TikTok.
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