Rumble Offers TikTok Acquisition And Avoids National Ban Threats

Rumble wants to buy TikTok. (photo: x @rumblevideo)

JAKARTA - A company in the United States has made an offer to buy TikTok to avoid a potential national ban on applications owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski revealed the offer in a letter published on the company's X page on Tuesday, March 12. Pavloski stated that his online video platform, Rumble, is ready to "acquire and operate TikTok in the US."

In his letter, Pavloski emphasized that Rumble will securely and securely maintain user data in the US using their new cloud service. This service is fought for by the company as an effort to support 'free and open internet.'

An offer for TikTok from our CEO @chrispavlovski pic.twitter.com/lIeZ6IXANU

— Rumble 🏴‍☠️ (@rumblevideo) March 12, 2024

An official for TikTok from our CEO @chrispavlovski pic.twitter.com/lleEZ6IXANU

The offer comes as threats from the US House of Representatives to ban TikTok if its parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it. The threat is based on concerns regarding national security over China's government access to TikTok user data.

The market reaction to the offer was very positive, where Florida-based Rumble shares jumped more than 15 percent just moments after the announcement of the offer.

In his letter, CEO Rumble also added that the company is ready to join a consortium with other parties interested in acquiring and operating TikTok in the United States, if ByteDance agrees to relinquish TikTok ownership.

The letter comes after Rumble announced the launch of the Rumble Cloud service, which aims to counter censorship and fight for 'free and open internet.' The move could also be interpreted as Rumble's attempt to strengthen its legitimacy as a platform that encourages freedom of expression and the use of the open internet.

Meanwhile, TikTok has been in the spotlight in the 2024 presidential election in the United States. The platform has about 170 million users in the US, most of whom are the younger generation - a demographic that is the main target for both political parties ahead of the November general election.