After being banned in January in the United States, TikTok has faced several challenges in operating within the country under the management of the Chinese company ByteDance.
To avoid a permanent ban, the company must sell the app to an American firm by April 5. This comes after the U.S. judiciary raised concerns about China’s access to American TikTok users’ data.
With this in mind, Amazon has reportedly made an offer to purchase the app, according to the American newspaper The New York Times.
“Amazon made a last-minute bid to acquire all of TikTok, the popular video app, as the platform nears the deadline to separate from its Chinese parent company or face a ban in the United States,” the report states.
ByteDance previously stated that it would appeal the ban decision, arguing that it would violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech. Additionally, they have repeatedly said they have no interest in selling the app.
Despite the pressure, it seems the company is taking the matter seriously, as it has not accepted any of the offers made to purchase TikTok so far. Apparently, even Amazon’s offer has been ignored.
If ByteDance does not finalize a deal this week, TikTok could officially be taken offline next Saturday (5) for all users in the United States.
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