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A top US official has warned that if a deal with TikTok is not reached with China by September 17, the app will be banned for American users.
Some shit you should know before you read: Last year, Congress passed the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” with bipartisan support, addressing widespread concerns about the potential national security risks posed by TikTok’s Chinese ownership. The law, later signed by President Biden, requires TikTok’sparent company, ByteDance, to either divest its US operations or face an outright ban, based on fears that the Chinese government could exploit the platform’s algorithm to manipulate information and access sensitive user data from millions of Americans. Since returning to office, President Trump has signed multiple executive orders granting extensions that allow TikTok to continue operating in the US until a buyer is found.
What’s going on now: While appearing on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that TikTok will “go dark” in the US unless China approves a deal transferring control to American ownership. “If that deal gets approved by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don’t approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark. And those decisions are coming very soon.” Lutnick added, “We’ve made the decision. You can’t have Chinese control and have something on 100 million American phones.”
Lutnick clarified that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, could retain a “little piece,” but only under the condition that Americans are in control of the app’s core infrastructure, including its powerful recommendation (algorithm) engine. Lutnick said, “Basically, Americans will have control. Americans will own the technology. Americans will control the algorithm. That’s something Donald Trump is willing to do.”
This all comes after a previous deal to sell TikTok’s US operations collapsed earlier this year when China reacted angrily to President Trump’s announcement of steep new tariffs on Chinese imports. According to Bloomberg, China said it would not approve the transaction in response to the tariff escalation, effectively killing a deal that was near completion. President Trump has since indicated that “very, very wealthy people” had been identified to purchase TikTok’s US operations. However, no official announcement of the buyer has been made.
