Amid ongoing tensions with China, US President Donald Trump has announced a ban on the popular Chinese app TikTok.
Trump told reporters he could sign an executive order to stop TikTok in the United States by Saturday, BBC reports.
Earlier, US security officials said the app, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, may have been used to collect personal information from US citizens.
However, ByteDance denied this allegation. The agency said the Chinese government does not have permission to control or use the app’s data.
According to monthly estimates, TikTok currently has about 80 million active users in the United States.
If the US bans TikTok, ByteDance will face an extreme business shock.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we are banning them from the United States… I will sign the document tomorrow,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, reports Reuters.
However, it is not yet clear how the US will enforce the ban and whether it will pose a legal challenge.
Earlier, there was a rumor that Microsoft could buy TikTok from ByteDance. In the meantime, Trump’s announcement came.
TikTok has not yet made an official statement on the announcement.
On June 30, amid border tensions with China, India banned 59 Chinese apps, including the popular small video sharing app TikTok and WeChat.
TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the world. The platform has blasted in popularity in the recent years.
