WASHINGTON (AP) — A developing agreement involving TikTok with China guarantees that U.S. companies will manage the app’s video feed algorithm, while Americans will hold most of the positions on the board overseeing U.S. operations, according to the White House on Saturday.
A major issue in the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Beijing is whether the app will retain its algorithm after potentially separating from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Although Congress passed a law to ban TikTok starting January, President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued orders allowing the app to continue operating in the U.S. as his administration strives to finalize a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations by ByteDance.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that Oracle, a major tech company, will oversee the app’s data and security, and Americans will control six out of the seven seats on the planned board. Oracle did not comment on this matter.
“Patriotic Americans are investing in it—highly influential individuals who love our country,” Trump stated to reporters on Saturday after a significant phone call with China’s Xi Jinping about the deal. “They are technologically adept and will ensure TikTok remains safe.”
In an interview on Fox News “Saturday in America,” Leavitt added that “the algorithm will also be under American control,” providing more insight into how the White House perceives the deal’s development.
TikTok’s algorithm fuels what users see on the app. American officials have warned the algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
“We are 100% confident that a deal is done, now that deal just needs to be signed and the president’s team is working with their Chinese counterparts to do just that,” Leavitt said.
Trump said after his call with Xi that American investors were lined up and that the Chinese leader has been “a gentleman” about the matter. The Republican president was vague on the crucial question of whether China would control the algorithm.
“It’s all being worked out,” Trump said. “We’re going to have very good control.”
A statement from the Chinese government after that phone call did not clarify what Xi had agreed to regarding a sale of a controlling stake by TikTok’s Chinese parent company to avoid a U.S. ban.
Leavitt said Trump “recognized the need to protect Americans’ privacy and data while also keeping this app open,” adding that “TikTok is a vital part of our democratic process.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about one-third of Americans said they supported a TikTok ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly one-third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they weren’t sure.
Among those who said they supported banning the social media platform, about 8 in 10 cited concerns over users’ data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.
Leavitt expressed confidence that the agreement would be finalized soon. “Now we just need this deal to be signed,” she said. “And that will be happening, I anticipate, in the coming days.”
