The United States would control the board of directors of Tiktok and the algorithm within the framework of the emerging agreement with China, says the White House

A central question for the tug between Washington and Beijing was whether the popular social video platform would keep its algorithm after the potential divestment of Chinese parent company bytedance.

The congress adopted legislation calling for a ban on Tiktok to enter into force in January, but President Donald Trump has repeatedly signed orders that have enabled Tiktok to continue to operate in the United States while his administration is trying to reach an agreement for Bytedance to sell its American operations.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Oracle technology giant would be responsible for data and safety data and that the Americans will control six of the seven seats for a planned board of directors. Oracle did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

“We are 100% convinced that an agreement is concluded, now that the agreement must be signed and the President’s team is working with its Chinese counterparts to do exactly that,” Leavitt in Fox News “Saturday in America” ​​said a day earlier, Trump and Xi Jinping from China discussed a Tiktok agreement during a long telephone call.

Leavitt said that “algorithm will also be controlled by America”, offering more details on how the agreement, at least in the eyes of the White House, takes shape.

Tiktok algorithm feeds what users see on the application. US officials have warned that algorithm is vulnerable to handling the Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a manner to detect.

Trump said after his call with Xi that American investors were lined up and that the Chinese chief had been “a gentleman” on this subject. The republican president was vague on the crucial issue of whether China would control the algorithm.

“Everything is developed,” said Trump. “We are going to have very good control.”

A declaration by the Chinese government after this telephone call did not specify what XI had accepted concerning the sale of a majority participation by the Chinese mother company of Tiktok to avoid an American ban.

Leavitt said Trump “recognized the need to protect the confidentiality and the data of the Americans while keeping this application open”, adding that “Tiktok is an essential element of our democratic process”.

A recent investigation by Pew Research Center revealed that around a third of Americans said they had supported a tiktok ban, against 50% in March 2023. About a third, said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they were not sure.

Among those who said they had supported the ban on the social media platform, around 8 out of 10, cited concerns about the security of user data as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.

Leavitt expressed his confidence that the agreement would be finalized soon. “Now we just need to sign this offer,” she said. “And that will happen, I expect the next few days.”

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