The popular short-video app TikTok is firing back after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday he would be banning the application from operating in the United States.
In a video Saturday morning, TikTok’s U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas said the company is “not planning on going anywhere.”
“TikTok is a home for creators and artists to express themselves, their ideas and connect with people across different backgrounds of all the various communities that call TikTok their home,” she said.
Trump said Friday the ban will come through either an executive order or by using executive economic powers.
“As far as TikTok is concerned we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump said.
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The President also made clear that he opposed a deal to let a U.S. company buy TikTok’s American operations from its China-based owner ByteDance.
TikTok has found itself in the line of fire as tensions between China and the U.S. grow amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The two countries are also at odds over Beijing’s decision to implement a new national security law in Hong Kong.
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The app was labeled a national security threat to the U.S. last month.
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was considering banning the app, but did not specify a timeline.
In the video Saturday, Pappas said the when it comes to safety and security, the company is “building the safest app because we know it’s the right thing to do.”
What’s more, Pappas said in the video she is “proud” of the company’s 1,500 American employees, and said the app would draw an additional 10,000 jobs to the U.S. over the next three years.
In a statement emailed to Global News on Saturday, a TikTok spokesperson said user data is stored in the U.S. with “strict controls on employee access.”
“TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US,” the statement reads. “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.”
According to TikTok, 100 million Americans use the app for “entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic.”
–With files from Global News’ Sean Boynton
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