Microsoft to continue talks to buy TikTok's US operations

BBC NEWS

US tech giant Microsoft has confirmed that it is continuing talks to purchase the US operations of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella had a conversation with President Donald Trump about the acquisition on Sunday, the tech firm said.

Microsoft stressed that it "fully appreciates the importance" of addressing President Trump's concerns.

A full security review of the app will be conducted, the company added.

Microsoft will also have to provide the US government with a list of the "proper economic benefits" to the country, it said in a blog post.

The tech giant hopes to conclude discussions with TikTok's parent firm ByteDance by 15 September.

Microsoft said it was looking to purchase the TikTok service in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and would operate the app in these markets.

The tech firm added that it "may" invite other American investors to participate in the purchase "on a minority basis".

Microsoft emphasised that it would ensure that "all private data of TikTok's American users" was transferred to and remained in the US.

Further, it would ensure that any data currently stored or backed up outside the country would be deleted from servers after it was transferred to US data centres.

It also said that Microsoft "appreciates the US Government's and President Trump's personal involvement as it continues to develop strong security protections for the country."

But the tech giant added that current discussions were still in the "preliminary" stage, and as such there was "no assurance" that the purchase would proceed.

preliminary  /prɪˈlɪmɪnəri/  

ADJ.~ (to sth) happening before a more important action or event 预备性的；初步的；开始的  N.~ (to sth) a preliminary is an action or event that is done in preparation for sth 初步行动（或活动）；预备性措施

Government concerns

A possible sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft was thought to be on hold after Donald Trump vowed to ban the video-sharing app, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The potential sale was had been seen close to agreement but was put in doubt after the US president's warning on Friday.

And on Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that President Trump would take action "in the coming days" against Chinese-owned software that he believed to pose a national security risk.

US Secretary of State:美国国务卿      Mike Pompeo迈克·蓬佩奥

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Pompeo said the action would be taken "with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the C Communist Party".

a broad array of ：一系列

Short-form video app TikTok is thought to have about half a billion active users worldwide - and about 80 million in the US - with a huge proportion of these in their teens or early 20s.

Some US politicians are worried the app's Chinese owner ByteDance poses a risk to national security because it could be used to collect Americans' personal data. Regulators have also raised their own safety concerns.

Late on Friday, Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "As far as TikTok is concerned we're banning them from the United States."

And in a statement on Saturday, a White House spokesman said: "The administration has very serious national security concerns over TikTok. We continue to evaluate future policy."

The Wall Street Journal said ByteDance tried to make significant concessions to the White House, including creating of thousands of jobs over three years.

make significant concessions ：做出巨大的让步

concession n. /kənˈseʃn/  

1.[ CU ] something that you allow or do, or allow sb to have, in order to end an argument or to make a situation less difficult 让步；妥协 •to win a concession from sb 取得某人的让步 •a major/an important concession 重大的让步

2.[ U ] the act of giving sth or allowing sth; the act of conceding 承认；给予；许可；让步 •the concession of university status to some colleges 对某些学院升为大学的许可

3.减价；（对某类人的）减价票 •tax concessions 税收减免 •Tickets are ￡3; there is a ￡1 concession for students. 票价为3英镑，学生票减免1英镑。

4.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权，优惠 •The Bolivian government has granted logging concessions covering 22 million hectares. 玻利维亚政府批准了在2 200万公顷土地上的伐木特许权。

5.（在某地的）特许经营权；（有时为大型建筑物或商场中的）销售场地，摊位 •the burger concessions at the stadium 体育场内的汉堡包小吃摊

A sale of the US operation to Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn, would give the US tech giant a far greater presence in social media, an area dominated by rivals. The value of TikTok's US arm has been put at between $15bn and $30bn (£11bn-£23bn).

According to the Financial Times, some executives at ByteDance believe Mr Trump's intervention may just be a negotiating ploy to help Microsoft secure a better deal.

ploy n. /plɔɪ/  ~ (to do sth) words or actions that are carefully planned to get an advantage over sb else 计谋；策略；手法；花招

TikTok declined to discuss the possible Microsoft deal, but a spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday: "While we do not comment on rumours or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok."

The statement re-iterated that the company was committed to protecting the privacy and safety of users.

reiterate /riːˈɪtəˌreɪt/  V-T If you reiterate something, you say it again, usually in order to emphasize it. 重申 • He reiterated his opposition to the creation of a central bank. 他重申了他对创办中央银行的反对。

'Bizarre'

bizarre adj.  /bɪˈzɑː(r)/  very strange or unusual 极其怪诞的；异乎寻常的 • a bizarre situation/incident/story 稀奇古怪的局势╱事件╱故事 • bizarre behaviour 古怪的行为

The move to ban TikTok comes at a time of heightened tensions between the Trump administration and the C government over a number of issues, including trade disputes and Beijing's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The president's announcement on Friday was criticised by some in the tech sector, including former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos, who questioned whether the move was spurred by national security concerns.

Spur：教唆，鞭策，马刺；以前文中提供详细释义

He tweeted: "This is getting bizarre. A 100% sale to an American company would have been considered a radical solution two week ago and, eventually, mitigates any reasonable data protection concerns. If the White House kills this we know this isn't about national security."

radical /ˈrædɪkl/  

1.concerning the most basic and important parts of sth; thorough and complete 根本的；彻底的；完全的 •demands for radical reform of the law 彻底改变法律的要求 •radical differences between the sexes 两性间的根本差异

2.new, different and likely to have a great effect 全新的；不同凡响的

•radical ideas 不同凡响的观点 •radical proposals 有创见的建议

3.in favour of thorough and complete political or social change 激进的；极端的

•the radical wing of the party 党内的激进派 •radical politicians/students/writers 激进的政治家╱学生╱作家

4. very good 很好；非常好   5. 激进分子；游离基，自由基

mitigate v. /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/  [ VN] ( formal ) to make sth less harmful, serious, etc. 减轻；缓和

• action to mitigate poverty 减轻贫穷的行动

Mr Trump was also criticised by the American Civil Liberties Union. "Banning an app that millions of Americans use to communicate with each other is a danger to free expression and is technologically impractical," said the ACLU's surveillance and cybersecurity counsel, Jennifer Granick.

surveillance n. /sɜːˈveɪləns/ （对犯罪嫌疑人或可能发生犯罪的地方的）监视

counsel /ˈkaʊnsl/ n. 法律顾问；忠告；商议；讨论；决策vt. 建议；劝告vi. 商讨；提出忠告

Cybersecurity：cyber-security 网络安全

"Shutting one platform down, even if it were legally possible to do so, harms freedom of speech online and does nothing to resolve the broader problem of unjustified government surveillance," she said.

On Saturday, in a bid to reassure TikTok's millions of US users, Vanessa Pappas, the country's general manager said in a video message: "We're not going anywhere . . . We're here for the long run.

reassure v. /ˌriːəˈʃʊə(r)/  /‑ʃɔː(r)/  ~ sb (about sth) to say or do sth that makes sb less frightened or worried 使…安心；打消…的疑虑

When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do. So we appreciate the support."