Short video sharing app TikTok has said that it’s considering shifting its headquarters to London. Internal sources involved with the matter said the company’s management has been engaging the UK government for months now.
For the longest time now, the China based app has been trying to distance itself from China due to the increasing tensions between China and United States in which the video sharing app might end up being a casualty.
Chinese companies are required by China’s laws to corporate and assist China’s government in intelligence gathering. Nonetheless, Tiktok is not available in China, further the company says its data is not stored in China but there exists a policy enabling sharing information with the Chinese government.
According to the sources, TikTok has been scouting for various suitable locations across the world to shift its headquarters with London coming on top of the list. The sources also said shifting to the U.S is also an option on the table.
Chances are higher that London might be the ideal base to shift its headquarters. If this goes through, TikTok says it will significantly increase its labor force in London and other areas outside China.
In recent times, the company has been on the chopping board of U.S lawmakers regarding how it handles user private data. At some point the regulators banned installation of the app in government used devices.
