TikTok, ByteDance reject reports they are caving in to US divestment pressure, putting up a fight against Biden order
- TikTok calls a report that it is cloning its recommendation algorithm for US users to prepare for a potential divestment as ‘misleading’
- ByteDance and TikTok’s swift denial has won them praise back in China, where the Chinese company’s Douyin app rakes in major revenues
![People opposed to a TikTok ban gathered in Washington in March. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/31/4e5a6750-0260-4e74-b03d-ed4a7834f192_7c7ce2a9.jpg?itok=P1anF9pb&v=1717149394)
TikTok on Friday denied a news report suggesting that the ByteDance-owned platform is laying the technological groundwork for a potential divestment, the latest in a flurry of rebuttals issued by the short video app operator and its Chinese parent as they project a hardline stance against the Biden administration.
The report by Reuters, citing unidentified sources, said TikTok, at the behest of its Chinese owner, has been working on a clone of its recommendation algorithm for American users, a move that could lay the groundwork for a divestment of the app’s US operations.
In response, Reuters said it stands by its reporting.
TikTok and Beijing-based ByteDance have been quick in denying recent media reports hinting that the companies might be caving in to pressure from the US government to consider some sort of divestment.
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