- Suarez on target as Miami fight back in Montreal
- Cannes film fest returns with comebacks, strikes, Trump and MeToo
- Concern about Russia dominates as Lithuanians vote
- Israeli fans slam Eurovision snub as 'political'
- New York gears up for major Spring auctions after soft 2023
- Nemo's hometown celebrates Eurovision win for Switzerland
- Koepka seeks back-to-back major wins for third time at PGA
- Finding Nemo: Eurovision winner's journey of self-discovery
- Switzerland's Nemo wins Eurovision Song Contest
- Sagstrom holds on to lead as Korda fades at Founders Cup
- McIlroy surges into contention at Quail Hollow
- Irving, Doncic lead Mavs over Thunder
- Palou powers to IndyCar Grand Prix victory
- Tens of thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill
- Bologna on brink of Champions League with Napoli win
- In Tel Aviv, Eurovision fans hope world shows Israel some love
- Ogier storms towards Rally of Portugal record
- Swedish police push back protesters outside Eurovision arena
- Ireland's Eurovision entry accuses Israeli broadcaster of rule break
- 'Many game-changers' as Kolkata book IPL play-off berth
- Rescue operations continue in flooded southern Brazil despite new rain
- Emotional Edwards in tears with Luton on brink of relegation
- Nadal eyes French Open despite Rome exit as Djokovic laughs off bottle drama
- Kolkata down Mumbai to confirm IPL play-off berth
- Russia claims gains in Ukraine's Kharkiv region
- Mainz crush Dortmund to edge to safety, Cologne stun Union Berlin
- Swaggering champions Madrid rout relegated Granada
- 'Miracle' survivor found 5 days after S.Africa building collapse
- Thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill
- Kane to miss Bayern's last home game with back injury
- Hundreds protest outside German Tesla factory
- 'Fine' Djokovic dons cycling crash helmet after Rome bottle drama
- Al Hilal keep Ronaldo trophy-less in rich Saudi league
- Thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill: AFP
- 'They drowned together': Lives swept away by Afghanistan floods
- Ireland's Eurovision entry shares cryptic post ahead of final
- Burnley relegated from Premier League after loss at Spurs
- In Nigeria, Prince Harry promotes Invictus Games for veterans
- Man City close in on Premier League title, Burnley relegated
- Cologne great escape still on after stunning comeback
- Brazil's catastrophic weather spawns spate of conspiracy theories
- Man City have title 'destiny' in our hands: Guardiola
- Pogacar wins again on Giro d'Italia mountain
- Madrid eagerly awaits Mbappe after PSG exit confirmed
- Russia claims gains in ground offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region
- 'England great' Anderson will make last Test appearance in West Indies clash
- Martin wins French MotoGP sprint to pad championship lead
- Nadal eyes French Open bid despite early Rome exit
- Gvardiol double sinks Fulham as Man City go top of Premier League
- Kewell wary after Yokohama edge Asian Champions League final opener
ByteDance says 'no plans' to sell TikTok after US ban law
Chinese tech giant ByteDance has said it has no plans to sell TikTok after a new US law put it on a deadline to divest from the hugely popular video platform or have it banned in the United States.
US lawmakers set the nine-month deadline on national security grounds, alleging that TikTok can be used by the Chinese government for espionage and propaganda as long as it is owned by ByteDance.
The Information, a tech-focused US news site, reported that ByteDance was looking at scenarios for selling TikTok without the powerful secret algorithm that recommends videos to its more than one billion users around the world.
ByteDance denied it was considering a sale.
"Foreign media reports about ByteDance exploring the sale of TikTok are untrue," the company posted Thursday on Toutiao, a Chinese-language platform it owns.
"ByteDance does not have any plans to sell TikTok."
TikTok has been a political and diplomatic hot potato for years, first finding itself in the crosshairs of former president Donald Trump's administration, which tried unsuccessfully to ban it.
It has forcefully denied any link to the Chinese government, and said it has not and will not share US user data with Beijing.
TikTok says it has also spent around $1.5 billion on "Project Texas", under which US user data would be stored in the United States.
Its critics say the data is only part of the problem, and that the TikTok recommendation algorithm -- the "secret sauce" for its success -- must also be disconnected from ByteDance.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has said the company will take the fight against the new law to the courts, but some experts believe that for the US Supreme Court, national security considerations could outweigh free speech protection.
- Bullish investors -
The estimated valuations of TikTok are in the tens of billions of dollars, and any forced sale would present major complications.
Among those with deep enough pockets, US tech giants such as Instagram-parent Meta or Google would likely be blocked from buying the app over competition concerns.
Further, many investors consider TikTok's recommendation algorithm to be its most valuable feature.
But any sale of such technology by a Chinese company would require approval from Beijing, which designated such algorithms as protected technology following Trump's attempt to ban TikTok in 2020.
Beijing has so far vocally opposed any forced sale of TikTok, saying it will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese companies.
While TikTok is a global phenomenon, it represents a small fraction of ByteDance's revenue, according to analysts and investors.
ByteDance has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. Its international investors, including US firms General Atlantic and SIG as well as Japan's SoftBank, have stakes worth billions.
"TikTok US is a very small part of the overall business. It is an exciting part of the story, for sure, but... relative to the overall size, it's a very small part," ByteDance investor Mitchell Green, of US-based Lead Edge Capital, told CNBC television last month.
"If it was kicked out of the US, we would not sell."
O.Lorenz--BTB