President Donald Trump just announced a huge deal today. This settlement will cede operational control of TikTok to a consortium of U.S. investors—involving the tech behemoth Oracle. The announcement comes after months of turbulent delays around a proposed ban on the wildly popular social media app. The app has been criticized for the potential for the Chinese government to use user data or manipulate app content.
Those concerns over TikTok during the Trump administration were focused specifically on national security-related implications….mostly over fears that the Chinese government could access sensitive user data or use the platform to influence content. Early this year, the tide turned violently. Earlier in the year, the nation’s highest court issued a first-of-its-kind ruling that upheld national security concerns, which briefly knocked TikTok out of contention in January.
The administration addressed these issues with incredible urgency and importance. At the same time, they promised app store operators Google and Apple that law enforcement would not pursue investigation of any possible violations related to TikTok app. This guarantee was meant to alleviate some fears among both app developers and potential users. It’s a welcome reprieve as negotiations over the future of the app in the United States remain ongoing.
The Trump administration made good on that Oval Office pronouncement. According to the Secretary of State, American investors would obtain exclusive control over TikTok’s algorithm under the proposed new arrangement. Then-Ohio Representative J.D. Vance joined Trump on stage to make the announcement that became policy. He underscored how important this deal is for American consumers.
“This deal really does mean Americans can use TikTok but actually use it with more confidence than they had in the past because their data is secure and it won’t be used as a propaganda weapon like it has in the past.” – J.D. Vance
Chinese President Xi Jinping was said to have personally approved the agreement. This is a dramatic step in the ongoing U.S.-China negotiations over TikTok’s future. As of Thursday afternoon, China had yet to publicly confirm the terms that the Trump administration has spelled out for TikTok.
This recent development is another step in a wider move towards increasing scrutiny on foreign technology companies in the United States. It particularly aims at those with connections to China. In all, TikTok is a social and media powerhouse, with millions of local impacts around the country. Its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance has thrown it to the heart of this years long discussion.
