The US Army and Navy have banned service members from downloading the app to government-issued phones.

A deal to sell the short-form video apps US business has hit a roadblock because its unclear whether new Chinese regulations covering the export of artificial intelligence extends to TikToks algorithm, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Without the algorithm, which delivers the videos users see and plays a large role in the apps popularity, potential buyers are rethinking their bids for TikTok, the Journal said.

A Ministry of Commerce official on Thursday reportedly emphasized Chinas authority to approve or block the sale of some technologies abroad though he said the regulations didnt target any particular company.

The uncertainty over the algorithm could complicate any deal.

Microsoft and Walmart have teamed up for a potential deal, while Oracle and a third US company have made bids on TikTok, according to CNBC.

The financial network reported at the time that TikToks US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand businesses could be worth as much as 30 billion.

Its unclear how significantly the Chinese regulations would affect the valuation.

The new developments come as TikTok takes the US government to court over an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that would effectively ban the app if its ownership doesnt change.

The lawsuit follows more than a month of threats from the Trump administration, as well as a subsequent executive order.

An Aug. 6 executive order gave TikTok roughly a month and a half to find a buyer.

A week later, Trump extended that period to 90 days in another executive order that followed a government panels recommendation.

The second order also directed ByteDance to delete any data obtained from US TikTok users.

TikToks lawsuit alleges the US government didnt allow it to respond to the national security concerns cited as the reason for the potential ban.

The company has repeatedly said that it doesnt share user data with the Chinese government, one of the main concerns brought up by the Trump administration.

In the lawsuit, TikTok noted that outside experts have expressed doubts that the government is truly acting out of concerns over access to user data.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that Trump was considering the ban because the app could make US user data accessible to the Chinese government.

The administrations focus then turned to forcing a sale of the app to a US company, and Microsoft entered into discussions with ByteDance to purchase part of the business.

Microsoft declined to comment on the executive order.) TikTok established an information hub to combat misinformation and rumors about its social media platform in real time.

TikTok employees are separately suing on the grounds the order would deprive them of their livelihoods.

The employees have signed up prominent internet lawyer Mike Godwin to represent them.

Its been downloaded more than 2 billion times, according to research firm Sensor Tower, with 623 million downloads during the first half of this year.

India had been its largest market, followed by Brazil and the US.

India has already banned TikTok, and Australia is also considering blocking it.

Trump cited the India ban in his executive order.

Softbank Group, a Japanese stakeholder in TikTok parent company ByteDance, is leading negotiations to buy the short-video apps assets in that country, according to a report from Bloomberg.) Heres what you need to know about the political backlash against TikTok.

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