After years of political conflict, lawsuits, threats of bans and uncertainty for millions of people, The long and dramatic history of TikTok it may finally end this week.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to “implement” a long-negotiated deal on Thursday that will allow TikTok to continue operating in the US under new ownership terms.
“The detail is settled” kiss he saidand said his goal in the negotiations was “to get the Chinese to approve the transaction” and that it had been “completed successfully”.
Of course, Thursday could pass without a deal being reached with TikTok. Dates and deadlines They were flexible along the way. Trump has set numerous deadlines for changes related to TikTok and repeatedly extended them. TikTok briefly went offline in January, hours before the planned ban, but returned the next day.
Read also: TikTok introduces features for parental control, fact-checking and AI moderation
TikTok’s controversial history in the US
TikTok’s political rollercoaster began in 2020, when Washington first raised the alarm about the app’s Chinese ownership and possible data vulnerabilities. Congress passed a law for 2024 This will force ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, to divest its US operations or face an outright ban.
Since then, the video-sharing site has faced numerous court orders, legal challenges and failed acquisition attempts.
Time is running out to reach an agreement. United States Supreme Court It confirmed the delivery order earlier this year.and rejected arguments that a ban would infringe on free speech. This move brought both sides to the negotiating table, but there have been numerous delays and delayed deadlines for the TikTok deal in recent months.
Source sign NASTY Implementation rules on September 25, allowing the new owner to be based in the United States and consist of a majority of American investors and stakeholders.
The original algorithm
the white house September confirmed that the TikTok algorithm is operated in the United States and monitored by the American technology company Oracle. Investors also include private equity firm Silver Lake and Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies.
In September, Trump said News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch would also be part of the ownership group. But CNN later reported that Murdoch’s media company, Fox Corp, would be the investor, rather than the two Murdochs individually.
TikTok’s algorithm plays a big role in the business. The algorithm recommends content to you as you browse TikTok. The algorithm is controversial because the US fears that ByteDance, the original Chinese owner of TikTok, could be forced by the Chinese government to use these recommendations in an overtly political way against the US.
With the new TikTok deal, the algorithm it is recycled on US user data.
What this means for TikTok users
For TikTok users in the US, the deal could preserve access to an app that has become a cultural mainstay here and eliminate the looming threat of a shutdown. Derivative application.
Under the new agreement, data on US TikTok users will be stored nationwide and handled by a special oversight board, which could reassure those with privacy concerns.
Trump and Xi will meet again in Korea on Thursday, meaning a deal with TikTok could be announced later this week. However, the execution of the agreement and the transfer of ownership is expected to take months.
Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle He is a personal friend of Trump and some users are concerned that his role on TikTok could lead to the algorithm sending right-wing political content to users. NASTY Current NPR story reported that analysts believe this could happen, but they should also be careful not to disturb existing audiences.