Trump administration extends TikTok sale deadline

The Trump administration has once again extended the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to sell its video-sharing app TikTok in the United States, a court filing showed on Wednesday.

ByteDance was granted the extension as the US' Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), is now reviewing a revised submission made by the company, the report said. President Donald Trump on August 14 had directed ByteDance to divest the app within 90 days.

The administration has hit TikTok over alleged theft of American users' online data, linking the matter to a deteroirating relationship with China.

The White House has said TikTok must become a U.S. firm controlled by American investors to avert a ban.

But any plan would likely need approval from Beijing, which has balked at giving up control of its social media star.

ByteDance made the proposal after disclosing on Nov. 10 that it had submitted four prior proposals including one in November that sought to address US concerns by "creating a new entity, wholly owned by Oracle, Walmart and existing USA investors in ByteDance, that would be responsible for handling TikTok's U.S. user data and content moderation".

While Mr Trump signaled his approval for the plan, it has not been finalised and the prospects remain unclear. So far, ByteDance has been negotiating a potential deal with the tech company Oracle and retail giant Walmart.