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   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   
   ======================================================================   
      
   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.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   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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