Trump administration official renews threats to ban TikTok in the US

US President Donald Trump said in June that a buyer had been found for TikTok to allow the video app to continue operating in the US.

While not revealing the buyer's identity, Trump said it was a group of "very wealthy people" and that more would be revealed within two weeks. Now, almost a month after these statements, we not only still don't know who intends to buy TikTok, but threats that the app could be banned in the US have also been renewed.

Speaking to CNBC , Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that if China does not approve the deal, the US government is willing to move forward with the decision to ban TikTok.

Beyond just purchasing TikTok, Lutnick noted that the Chinese government must also be willing to give up the app's algorithm.

"China may have a small stake, or ByteDance, the current owner [of TikTok], may have a small stake," Lutnick explained. "But ultimately, the Americans will have control. The Americans will own the technology, and the Americans will control the algorithm."

With these statements, Lutnick makes it clear that the US is not willing to do without the TikTok algorithm - seen by many as the main element that explains the success and popularity of the app.

"If the deal is approved by the Chinese, but if they don't, TikTok will be shut down. These decisions will be made soon, so we'll see what the Chinese do. Right now, the deal is on their side," Lutnick said.

Since taking office, Trump has extended the TikTok sale deadline. The first extension was Trump's first decision after taking office on January 20th. However, the decision to ban TikTok was made on April 4th and again on June 19th.

The current deadline is set for September 17th, so we'll have to wait until then to find out whether TikTok will be entitled to a further extension until an agreement is reached with the Chinese government, or whether the app will be banned.

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