Elon Musk, known for leading companies like Tesla and SpaceX, might be looking to acquire another social media platform. After purchasing Twitter in 2022 for a staggering $44 billion, Musk has rebranded Twitter to "X." Now, reports suggest that he is interested in buying TikTok, a popular short video app. According to a Bloomberg article, the Chinese company that owns TikTok is considering selling its US operations, especially with a potential ban looming on the app.
The concern stems from a hearing by the US Supreme Court, where the government labeled TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, a threat to national security. The US authorities are worried about the app's connection to the Chinese government and how it could impact American safety.
Currently, TikTok has around 170 million active users in the US, and similar concerns have led to the app being banned or restricted in several other countries, including India.
There is a possibility that TikTok could face a ban in the United States starting January 19, as part of new regulations. If Elon Musk were to buy TikTok’s US operations, this could help the app avoid being banned entirely.
TikTok is especially popular among young people around the world, especially those in their twenties. However, under the new rules introduced by President Joe Biden's administration, American users might find themselves unable to use TikTok starting January 20.
A spokesperson for TikTok called the reports about the sale “fabricated,” so it remains to be seen what will happen next.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, the chair of the parliamentary committee on Communications and Information Technology, announced that the committee intends to summon Meta following comments made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the 18th Lok Sabha elections. He stated that misinformation has the potential to damage the reputation of a democratic nation and suggested that the organization should apologize to both the Indian Parliament and the public for the inaccuracies.
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