Apple Says It Has No Interest in Buying TikTok

Apple has no interest in acquiring TikTok, the company said on Tuesday, denying a report by news website Axios from earlier in the day.

Axios, citing sources outside ofApple, earlierreportedtheiPhonemaker has expressed interest in buying theByteDance-owned firm.

Microsoftis currentlynegotiating a dealto acquire the popular short-video app, with a 45-day deadline imposed by PresidentDonald Trump'sadministration.

Last week, Trumpsaid he was planning to banTikTok amid concerns its Chinese ownership represents a national security risk because of the personal data it handles.

Separately, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that the United States will take action in coming days on the popular short-video appTikTokand other Chinese apps, but gave no other details.

"He and Secretary (of State) Pompeo have said the US will take action in coming days on Chinese apps including TikTok due to the national security risk," she said.

© Thomson Reuters 2020