TikTok has shut down reports that China is discussing selling its US operations of the group to tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The social media platform said the preliminary talks for China to involve Elon Musk as a possible buyer for its US operations are “pure fiction”.
TikTok shut down the original Bloomberg report in a comment to the BBC. “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told the British news outlet.
Euronews has also contacted TikTok for a response.
TikTok faces 19 January ban
It comes as the popular app, used by 170 million Americans, faces a ban on 19 January in the US with Supreme Court justices due to rule on a law for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either sell its US operations or go dark in the country.
In December, US president-elect Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay its TikTok decision until he takes office on 20 January to allow him time to seek a resolution.
As also reported by the BBC, Trump’s request came one week after he met with TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, in Florida.
However, it is not clear whether any of the US justices will choose this course.
National security threat
The 19 January decision was the culmination of a long saga in Washington over TikTok, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China.
US officials have argued that the vast amounts of user data that TikTok collects, including sensitive information on viewing habits, could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion.
As previously reported by Euronews, they also are concerned that the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who could pressure ByteDance to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
TikTok, however, has long denied it could be used as a tool of Beijing.
