Subj : US version of TikTok migh
To : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Tue Sep 23 2025 09:00 am
The US version of TikTok might be more concerning than the Chinese one
Date:
Mon, 22 Sep 2025 19:31:33 +0000
Description:
The US government says it's close to signing a deal to bring TikTok inside
the US, with US control, but so many big questions and concerns remain.
FULL STORY
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The White House has yet to deliver full details of the deal that will bring
at least 80% of TikTok ownership into the US, but there is one bit that, if
it comes to pass, could fundamentally change your TikTok experience: a
retrained, rebuilt, and redistributed algorithm.
I've been on TikTok since 2019, and one thing I've long marveled at is the
quality of the algorithm. It's the kind of programming that's so good you
barely notice it; it just silently curates your TikTok experiences based on
untold signals, including how long you spent on a post, previous posts you've
viewed, what you favorite, what you share, what you've quickly dismissed, and
far more.
It's one of the few algorithms that is almost instantly customizable. Want to
see more restoration or parrot TikTok in your feed? Just find one DIY or
parrot content and watch all of them, like them, and you will quickly be fed
another with similar content, if not in the next TikTok, then within the next
five.
The US White House said this week that Oracle, which will invest in the US
version, will also be the keeper of the US TikTok data. That's actually not
an update. Nor is the lack of access to US data by ByteDance's Chinese
counterparts.
The true size of this agreement
When TikTok launched Project Texas three years ago (and in response to
growing US security concerns), it launched a subsidiary called "TikTok US
Data Security (USDS)"
It was overseen by an independent board of directors and led by security
experts Andy Bonillo and Will Farrell. Together, these groups assumed control
of all US Data, which was shifted from servers outside the US to Oracle's
cloud services.
At the time, TikTok promised that even though the US data would be ringfenced
in the US and inaccessible to Chinese-based ByteDance employees, "U.S. users
of the TikTok platform can still communicate and interact with global users
for a cohesive global experience."
Again, if this all sounds familiar, it's because it mirrors much of what the
White House says it will sign as an agreement later this week .
The two primary changes, then, and they are significant, are the ownership,
which will shift from ByteDance to a consortium of US companies and
investors, as well as the algorithm rewrite.
It's that last bit that has me concerned. The White House has yet to name a
company or group tasked with rewriting the TikTok algorithm. With its
handpicking of the board of directors and the US government's deep
involvement in the process and oversight, we have no assurance that the US
Government will not force someone to write an algorithm that suppresses
certain kinds of content and voices.
At a more prosaic level, we have no idea if anyone in the US is capable of
rewriting the TikTok algorithm so that the experience remains the same.
A new TikTok app?
There have also been discussions that the TikTok app will be relaunched
(perhaps rewritten) as a new app. Put another way, we may all have to delete
ByteDance's TikTok app and install the new US-approved one, again, without
assurances that it will operate in the same way and still include the freedom
of expression the app has enjoyed for almost a decade.
Interestingly, the White House has not mentioned any of Byte Dance's other
apps, like CapCut, which many TikTokers use to edit and upload videos. Or
Lemon8, a social media app. Will those also be rewritten and rereleased, or
will they simply disappear?
Aside from questions about the algorithm and future TikTok experience, there
is the most basic one: Is China agreeing to any of this? ByteDance and China
have yet to publicly acknowledge the details of the agreement. According to
Reuters, this is China's official stance:
"China's position on TikTok is clear: The Chinese government respects the
wishes of the enterprise, and welcomes it to carry out commercial
negotiations in accordance with market rules to reach a solution compliant
with China's laws and regulations, and strikes a balance of interests."
That does not sound like agreement. "China's laws and regulations" when it
comes to business are wildly different than those in the US. It maintains
access to businesses run within China, but has carved out this special space
for TikTok, wherein it's being run as a separate US entity. All indications
are that China believes it's done enough (I've long contended that having
such a successful business in the US 170M users, 5M small businesses is a
point of pride for the Chinese government). But Trump's White House insists a
deal is about to be signed.
I'll believe it when the ink's dry. After that, I don't think we can count on
the new TikTok experience being just like the old one. Whatever that may
mean.
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/the-us-version-of-tiktok-migh
t-be-more-concerning-than-the-chinese-one
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