ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the TikTok platform, announced on Thursday that it has absolutely no intention of selling its application despite the new American law requiring it to sever its relationship with the social network under penalty of being banned in the United States.
The company said on its owned Toutiao platform, “The information contained in the foreign press that ByteDance intends to sell TikTok is incorrect,” stressing that it “does not plan to sell TikTok.”
The US Congress considers the application a threat to national security due to its connection to the Chinese entertainment giant.
The Senate approved a text signed by President Joe Biden, on Wednesday, obligating the Chinese parent company of TikTok to sell the application within 12 months, otherwise it will be excluded from Apple and Google stores on American soil.
For years, TikTok has been in the crosshairs of US authorities, who say the app allows Beijing to spy on users in the United States and collect personal information, and also serves Chinese propaganda.
TikTok rejects these accusations, stressing that it has never transferred data about American users to Beijing and does not intend to do so.
“We will continue to fight for your rights in the courts,” TikTok CEO Xu Ziqiu promised users.