The White House has unveiled a landmark deal that would shift control of TikTok’s U.S. algorithm to American hands. Under the plan, Oracle and Silver Lake will lead a joint venture to run TikTok’s U.S. operations, with ByteDance holding less than 20% ownership.
The algorithm that decides what users see will be licensed from ByteDance but retrained with U.S. data and monitored by Oracle for security. This move aims to ease national security concerns over foreign influence, following the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
While supporters say the deal protects user data and prevents manipulation, critics warn of technical hurdles, possible censorship, and resistance from China, which must approve the agreement.
If finalized, the deal could reshape how TikTok operates in the U.S. — setting a precedent for how governments worldwide handle foreign-owned social platforms and their powerful algorithms.