(Reuters) – China’s ByteDance told engineers of its popular short-video app TikTok this week to make contingencies should it need to shut down its U.S. operations, even as it works toward divesting them, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ByteDance has been ordered by President Donald Trump to divest TikTok in the United States, amid security concerns over the personal data it handles. A sale would have to be greenlighted by both the United States and Chinese governments. ByteDance told TikTok engineers in a memo this week to draw up plans for shutting down the app in the United States, the sources said. ByteDance views the shutdown preparations as a back-up plan, and is working toward a deal that would keep TikTok operating in the United States without interruption, the sources said.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 27, 2020 20:15 UTC