As previously reported by Spot, the United States has enacted a law requiring the private Chinese company ByteDance to either sell TikTok or cease its operations.
The company has been given a deadline of nine months—until January 19, 2025. If they fail to comply, internet providers will face penalties for supporting the app's operation. The law was justified by the risk of transferring personal data of American users to Chinese authorities.
Currently, ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is attempting to contest the ban in court, but experts are confident that the judges will uphold the law.
According to Bloomberg, China is currently considering selling TikTok to Elon Musk. Sources indicate that Chinese officials are discussing a scenario where Musk's social media platform X could take control of TikTok's operations in the U.S.
Bloomberg estimated the value of TikTok's American division at $40–50 billion, making a potential deal one of the largest in the industry.
However, TikTok has denied the information regarding the sale to Elon Musk.
“We cannot comment on pure fiction,” a company representative stated in response to a request from BBC News. However, following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reached out to Musk.
Trump will be officially inaugurated as president on January 20—just a day after the potential TikTok ban. He has already requested the Supreme Court to delay the ban to find a political solution to the issue.
Earlier, Spot reported that Meta has abandoned its fact-checking program and is changing its content moderation policy.