China and the US Might Have Reached a Deal on TikTok
Donald Trump and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, at the White House, following the January TikTok ban. Source: Slate.
On September 20th, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that a deal had been finalized between Washington and Beijing for the United States to take over majority control of TikTok. Leavitt stated that six Americans, who are national security and cybersecurity experts, would sit on a seven-seat board controlling the company, and tech company Oracle would handle the app’s data and security.
The role of China in TikTok’s user data and algorithms has long been controversial in American politics. During Donald Trump’s first term, the White House remained on edge about the possibility of data being handed over to Chinese authorities. In 2020, Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok. The same year, the Senate unanimously passed a bill banning TikTok on government-issued devices.
On the contrary, in 2024, Donald Trump himself joined the platform as part of his presidential reelection campaign. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung stated that the decision to join the platform “represents the continued outreach to a younger audience consuming pro-Trump and anti-Biden content.”
Not only was TikTok a tool for spreading pro-Trump content, but it was also a campaign strategy, as Donald Trump opposed a TikTok ban in an attempt to win over young voters. Trump specifically addressed America’s youth on Truth Social in May 2024, blaming “Crooked Joe Biden” for his attempts to ban TikTok.
The Trump administration’s shift to being pro-TikTok was no coincidence. It came shortly after Oracle head Larry Ellison hosted a $10 million fundraiser to promote Trump’s reelection. Oracle became TikTok's cloud provider and a minority investor in TikTok Global in 2020, and Ellison has long been an avid Trump ally. Now, Ellison is at the forefront of the deal between the US and China.
Larry Ellison’s Oracle raises two concerns. First, Oracle could sell TikTok user data to China or other actors, as they do not have the best track record for handling user data. This past November, Oracle settled a $115 million class-action lawsuit claiming the company improperly captured and sold individuals' data to third parties without their permission. An anonymous person familiar with the discussions with Oracle told Politico there would be no way to ensure there is no “backdoor” to American user data, claiming the Chinese government could very well still have access to the data.
Secondly, putting TikTok’s algorithms into the hands of a company whose owner has a clear political affiliation could be dangerous. Hundreds of scholars worry that the current administration’s crackdowns on free speech are already getting out of hand. The president has already vowed to prosecute hate speech that is fully protected under the First Amendment, threatened TV networks to lose their license if they say things Trump doesn’t like, and told Pentagon journalists they would have their access revoked unless they agreed to restrictions on their reporting.
Many members of Congress worry about Chinese propaganda influencing America’s youth, but what if the propaganda they should be concerned about is right under their noses? The spread of pro-Trump propaganda and misinformation could be the next step toward American authoritarianism. TikTok's possible further “Trumpification”, or the influx of pro-Trump media, could lead to further polarization on the app.
A deal like this could mean significant changes to TikTok, including a possible backdoor to American user data and a brand-new algorithm that could boost pro-Trump videos to American users. While its effects could be extreme, it is essential to remember that the deal has yet to be finalized. Although the White House has “100% confidence” in China’s agreement, China has yet to confirm anything, and Americans await further statements from the Chinese government to confirm their next steps.
In the meantime, it is increasingly crucial for America’s youth to be aware of the media they consume. Regardless of who controls TikTok’s algorithms, Americans should only trust unbiased and trustworthy sources for all information and news.