As international politics experiences one of its most historic moments, social media continues to set the political agenda, especially in the United States. Considering that networks like TikTok are one of the main sources of information and communication among young people, it’s understandable why Donald Trump wants to close a deal with China as soon as possible over the rights that regulate the algorithm. Thus, the US president has signed an agreement on TikTok to transfer ownership to the United States, while Xi Jinping continues to refuse to accept the agreement.
The app’s data and privacy management in the United States will be handled by the technology Oracle
Information about China’s position remains somewhat ambiguous. Although Donald Trump, through the media, is practically claiming the deal is a done deal, the truth is that China, in the form of Xi, has not yet accepted the agreement. The underlying idea of the agreement is that the app’s data and privacy management in the United States will be handled by the technology giant Oracle, owned by Larry Ellison, one of the richest people in the world and a Trump ally. The United States intended to seize the video-sharing app’s operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security reasons.
Karoline Leavitt: “Data and privacy management will be handled by one of the largest technology companies in the US”
“I spoke with President Xi and he said: ‘Go ahead with it.’ That’s what the US president has said about the deal. The fact is that with the signing of the agreement, the algorithm and the most important data handled by TikTok would pass into the hands of the United States, almost entirely. “Data and privacy management will be handled by one of the largest technology companies in the US, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by the United States,” explained Karoline Leavitt, a White House spokeswoman.
The fever that exists today around social media is almost indescribable
Let’s remember that TikTok users in the United States practically took to the streets (figuratively speaking) after the app’s small shutdown in the country. This happened almost immediately after Donald Trump won the 2024 election against Kamala Harris. Trump intended to make a statement by confronting the world power led by Xi Jinping, although it didn’t go as expected. And the user response was unanimous. The fever that exists today around social media is almost indescribable. The fact that we’re talking about international agreements, political interests, tariffs, international conflicts, and the negotiation of a social network between two world powers like the United States and China perfectly explains this movement.
A coalition of US owners is expected to own 80 percent of the app
The agreement, therefore, includes the fact that US companies will control TikTok’s algorithm and that US citizens will hold six of the seven seats on the board of directors for the app’s US operations. A coalition of US owners is expected to own 80 percent of the app, while Chinese investors will hold a 20 percent stake. All this, according to information provided by Leavitt and the White House.
The US will obtain an authorized copy of the state-of-the-art recommendation algorithm, retrained solely on US data
We’ll soon see what happens to this agreement, which began following the Trump administration’s suspicions about Chinese spying through the app. However, US officials have not presented any evidence that China has attempted to do so. According to reports, the United States will obtain an authorized copy of the state-of-the-art recommendation algorithm, retrained solely on US data. All according to information from the White House.
