Microsoft could be ‘white knight’ for TikTok – or fall flat

The talks on splitting TikTok from its Chinese parent ByteDance come amid rising US-China tensions and increasing fears voiced by US officials and lawmakers that the social platform could be used for espionage, despite repeated denials by the company of any links to the Beijing government. — Bloomberg

WASHINGTON: A deal allowing Microsoft to buy social media phenomenon TikTok could be transformative for the US tech giant’s efforts to become more consumer-focused – if it can overcome the business and political risks.

Microsoft appeared to be in position to acquire the Chinese-owned app which is under national security review, after US president Donald Trump said he would approve such a tie-up if completed by mid-September.