Microsoft negotiating to acquire TikTok

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has threatened to ban the trendy social media app in the United States. Microsoft, which is in discussions with TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to buy the social networking service’s operations in the United States and other English-speaking countries, said it would address the president’s concerns. Microsoft expects negotiations to end by mid-September and said it may bring on other U.S. investors to help purchase TikTok.

Why did Trump threaten to ban the app? U.S. officials have warned that TikTok is a national security risk because it may share user data with the Chinese government. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused TikTok and other apps of feeding information directly to the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok denied the accusation.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on China’s crackdown on personal freedom in Hong Kong.