U.S. President Donald Trump says TikTok will have to sell its U.S. operations by September 15 or be shut down, and that any sale should include a substantial payment to the U.S. In early July, U.S.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration was considering a ban on access to TikTok over privacy concerns. 

The social media company claims user data is safe and not shared with the Chinese authorities, as Beijing has called on Washington to stop using government mechanisms to pressure Chinese companies.

Washington kept arguing that TikTok is a national security threat to the U.S. while cracking down on Chinese tech companies.

TikTok has been seeing its popularity explode during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people were looking to escape the boredom of lockdown.

(With input from agencies)