Social-media time bombs that go TikTok TikTok

An app that has captivated Generation Z with the ability to create and share videos has been dragged into the US-China power struggle, becoming its latest flashpoint.

Published Fri, Oct 2, 2020 · 09:50 PM

TikTok

Singapore

SOCIAL-MEDIA darling TikTok boasts 800 million active users. Reports value it at up to US$50 billion. Considering that its Beijing-based app maker launched it worldwide only two years ago, that represents huge growth. Contrast that to the 14-year-old Twitter: "only" 330 million users and worth a "mere" US$35 billion.

Twitter's most famous user, US President Donald Trump, has now declared war on TikTok. This follows hard on the heels of US actions against other Chinese technology companies, most notably Huawei and ZTE in 2018.