Trump Follows Through With Executive Order Banning TikTok In 45 Days, Unless Sold -- TikTok Fires Back A Response

Officially Banned In 45 Days - TikTok Responds

Pres. DONALD TRUMP puts some teeth behind his saber rattling last week about banning TIK TOK from any U.S. transactions in 45 days unless current owner BYTEDANCE sells it to MICROSOFT or some other approved AMERICAN entity by Executive Order, as ALL ACCESS first told you (NET NEWS 8/3) and (NET NEWS 8/5).

TRUMP had publicly asked for a chunk of the deal to go to the U.S. TREASURY but according to CNN, that was not part of his EO. And there is speculation as to whether this EO is legal as its written as this is an unprecedented action by the US.

The order alleges that TIKTOK "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to AMERICANS' personal and proprietary information -- potentially allowing CHINA to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage."

It also claims that the platform censors "content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive" and "may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY, such as when TIKTOK videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS."

According to FORBES, the popular CHINESE messaging app WECHAT and owner TENCENT will also be banned from doing transactions in the US in 45 days as well. No word so far about forcing a sale of WECHAT.

TikTok Responds

TIKTOK has responded to TRUMP's actions, in part: "We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process. For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed. What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.

"This Executive Order risks undermining global businesses' trust in the UNITED STATES' commitment to the rule of law, which has served as a magnet for investment and spurred decades of American economic growth. And it sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets. We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly – if not by the Administration, then by the US courts."

Read TIKTOK's full response, here.

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