MWE Correspondent
A new deal between the United States and China is nearing completion, one that could reshape how millions of Americans experience TikTok every day.
At the heart of the agreement is a simple but far-reaching shift: U.S. companies and officials would oversee the app’s powerful recommendation system, its board of directors, and the privacy of American users.
For years, Washington has raised alarms about TikTok’s ties to its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance. Critics in Congress have argued that the app’s data flows and algorithms could be misused for political influence or surveillance. Now, the Biden administration believes it has a solution.
Under the proposed arrangement, six out of seven seats on a new TikTok U.S. board would be held by American citizens, while only one seat would remain tied to ByteDance. This oversight structure is designed to guarantee that decisions about what Americans see—and how their personal data is protected—are made domestically.
Even more crucial is who controls the app’s secret recipe: its algorithm. That invisible engine is what makes TikTok so addictive, serving up video after video based on a user’s tastes and habits. With U.S. control, officials say, there will be stricter safeguards to ensure the algorithm cannot be manipulated for political gain.
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For ordinary users, it may not change the funny dances or viral challenges they see, but it could alter the invisible boundaries of influence shaping their feed.
The agreement would also put Oracle Corporation in charge of storing and securing American user data. That means the company would act as a digital gatekeeper, making sure sensitive information does not cross borders and that user privacy is preserved. While many tech experts see this as a step forward, some remain skeptical about whether Oracle—and any U.S. watchdog—can truly seal off data from international pressures.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the deal “a milestone for both security and transparency.” However, Beijing has yet to give its final approval, leaving some uncertainty about when—or even if—the agreement will be signed.
If successful, this pact could serve as a blueprint for how democratic governments handle foreign-owned apps in the future. The stakes go beyond TikTok. The agreement touches on wider debates over algorithms, artificial intelligence, and the growing power of social media companies to shape what people know and believe.
