TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the world, especially amongst Generation Z users for its dance challenges and with brands seeking to target that coveted segment. But the social media platform ran into trouble this summer when it found itself at the center of an international power struggle that had all the twists and turns of a soap opera. The U.S. and Chinese governments sparred over the app's fate, with American tech giants, including Microsoft, Oracle and even Walmart, all jockeying for the chance to own a piece of it.
So why is the short-form video app facing a potential ban -- and what do you really need to know about it? On this installment from our "dot.LA Explains" series, host Kelly O'Grady runs through the key points in the saga and looks at what may lie ahead for TikTok.
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TikTok can breathe easier after the government gave the viral video app until November 27 to finalize a deal that would allay the government's national security concerns.
The 15-day extension was granted, a filing on Friday showed, by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the entity monitoring foreign investments.
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TikTok won't be forced to sell, at least not for a while.
The Commerce Department said it won't be enforcing the Thursday deadline imposed by Trump's executive order "pending further legal developments."
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