Microsoft in talks to buy Tik Tok

Microsoft confirmed yesterday (August 2nd) that it's in talks to buy TikTok's U.S. operations from Chinese company Byte Dance. Microsoft would also be buying the popular video app's operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The news comes after President Trump said Friday that he'd soon be banning TikTok in the U.S., and Microsoft said it had spoken with Trump about his concerns and about security and censorship regarding the possible purchase. The Trump administration has previously expressed concerns about national security because of TikTok's Chinese ownership, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Fox News Channel yesterday, "These Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether it’s TikTok or WeChat -- there are countless more . . . are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus." TikTok said earlier Sunday that it's U.S. user data is stored in the U.S., with strict controls on employee access, and its biggest investors come from the U.S.