ByteDance 'would rather' torpedo TikTok than sell it off

This according to Reuters, which cites four sources. ByteDance's worst-case-scenario decision comes after President Joe Biden signed a bill forcing TikTok's Chinese parent to either sell the social media platform to an entity that satisfies Uncle Sam, or have its video-sharing app banned from US software stores.

There is a fear stateside that China-based ByteDance could be forced by Middle Kingdom mandarins to manipulate TikTok, one of the biggest social media platforms in the United States, to spread misinformation or snoop on Americans. The House, Senate, and Biden all rubber-stamped the sell-or-ban bill.

The law says ByteDance must divest itself of TikTok by January 19, 2025, the day before President Biden's term as president expires, or get the ban hammer. That deadline may be extended by three months. It's also worth remembering that Western social media, such as Facebook and Reddit, is already by and large blocked in China.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans on overturning the US legislation, officially titled the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, using the courts. "Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere," Chew said in a video on his own app as the bill was signed into law. "The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again."

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