Tiktok Owner Bytedance Aims for Hong Kong IPO by Early 2022

The ByteDance logo is seen in this illustration taken, Nov. 27, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The ByteDance logo is seen in this illustration taken, Nov. 27, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Tiktok Owner Bytedance Aims for Hong Kong IPO by Early 2022

The ByteDance logo is seen in this illustration taken, Nov. 27, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The ByteDance logo is seen in this illustration taken, Nov. 27, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of short video platform TikTok, has revived its plan to go public with a listing in Hong Kong by early 2022 after addressing Chinese regulators' concerns, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

ByteDance is planning to list in either the fourth quarter of this year or in early 2022, the FT reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

"We are expecting final guidance from ByteDance in September. They are submitting all the filings with Chinese authorities right now and are going through the review process," the newspaper quoted a source as saying.

However, a ByteDance spokesperson told Reuters that the FT report was not accurate. The spokesperson declined to provide more details, Reuters reported.

Beijing-based BytDance said in April that it had no imminent plans for an initial public offering (IPO).

Chinese regulators have stepped up their scrutiny of the tech sector in recent months. The FT report said ByteDance has been working on addressing data security concerns raised by regulators.



X Names Brazil Legal Representative as It Fights Ban in the Country

A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
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X Names Brazil Legal Representative as It Fights Ban in the Country

A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)
A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP)

Elon Musk-owned social media platform X has named a legal representative in Brazil, the firm's lawyers said on Friday, in a move that would address one of the demands imposed by Brazil's top court to allow the company to operate in the country.

Andre Zonaro and Sergio Rosenthal, who were recently appointed as X's lawyers in Brazil, told Reuters that colleague Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao was chosen as the firm's legal representative, and that they had submitted her name to the Supreme Court.

Brazilian law requires foreign companies to name a legal representative to operate in the country. The representative would assume the legal responsibilities for the firm locally.

X had a legal representative in Brazil until mid-August, when it decided to close its offices in the country.

In late August, Brazil's top court ordered mobile and internet service providers to block X in the nation, and users were cut off within hours after X did not name a new legal representative.

The move followed a months-long dispute between Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes over the firm's non-compliance with court orders demanding the platform take action against the spread of hate speech.

Courts have previously blocked accounts implicated in probes of spreading misinformation and hate, which Musk has denounced as censorship.

On Thursday, the lawyers representing X in Brazil said the firm was starting to comply with orders on removing content, another demand from the top court.