Donald Trump plans to ban TikTok in the United States over privacy concerns

The U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that he will ban popular video sharing app TikTok citing concerns raised by American authorities over privacy. Reportedly, the authorities have expressed concerns that the social media app could be a tool for Chinese intelligence.

The move would come after US officials and lawmakers voiced fears of the wildly popular video platform being used by Beijing for iniquitous purposes, however, ByteDance, the company who owns TikTok, has denied the allegations.

Media reports were making rounds earlier on Friday that the President would require permission from the Chinese firm ByteDance to bar the app, but Trump announced the ban without any divest.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said: "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States." He also added that the he will announce something as soon as Saturday. The president also refuted the rumours that the government has signed a spin off deal involving Microsoft buying TikTok.

As per a report published in News18, the United States have an estimated 80 million monthly active TikTpk users.

"These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic. We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our U.S. team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US. Our $1 billion creator fund supports U.S. creators who are building livelihoods from our platform. TikTok U.S. user data is stored in the U.S., with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the U.S. We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform," a TikTok spokesperson told ABC News.

TikTok, wildly popular among millennial and gen-z generations, who create and watch its short-form videos, has an estimated billion users worldwide. However, time and again, the app is accused of users' privacy breach.

Earlier in July, the Indian government announced ban on the use of 59 mobile apps including TikTok because they were “engaged in activities … prejudicial to [the] sovereignty and integrity of India.”