TikTok dismisses report of sale to Elon Musk, calls it ’pure fiction’

TikTok has reportedly dismissed reports suggesting that it may sell its US business to billionaire Elon Musk, calling the claims “pure fiction.” This comes in response to a Bloomberg News report, which indicated that Chinese officials, amid growing concerns over a potential US ban, were exploring the idea of selling TikTok’s American operations to the owner of social media platform X.

The company, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has been embroiled in a lengthy battle with US lawmakers over national security concerns. These concerns centre on the app’s connections to China and the potential for Beijing to exert influence over user data. While TikTok has continually denied these allegations, the US government has imposed a January 19 deadline, demanding ByteDance either divest from TikTok’s US arm or face a nationwide ban.

(This is a developing story. Comeback for more)