Microsoft’s Extensive Ties to Beijing Could Muddy TikTok Discussions, Experts Say

By Bowen Xiao August 10, 2020

The future of TikTok is in the crosshairs as the app faces a September ban from the United States unless its parent company sells it to Microsoft or another U.S. company. But Microsoft’s decades-long ties to Beijing could muddy the waters.

The video-sharing app, which is wildly popular among American teens, has come under bipartisan scrutiny over national security and privacy concerns in relation to its ownership. TikTok, which was acquired by Beijing-based ByteDance Technology Co. in 2017, is estimated to have tens of millions of active users in the United States.

The crux of the concern is that under a 2017 national intelligence law, Chinese companies are required to provide their data to the ruling Communist Party. While some experts are optimistic that a Microsoft purchase will bring an end to alleged backdoor data mining, others say the company’s own extensive ties with Beijing are a cause for concern..............

 “By operating in China, Microsoft thus makes a Faustian bargain: it gets billions in profits and market share in the most populous country in the world, but in return it must cede to Beijing’s demands for government censorship, and limits on free expression and user privacy in connection with its online platforms,” Watnik said............To Read More....