The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain as the Trump administration threatens to shut down the Chinese app if a deal involving the sale of TikTok to U.S. buyers fails to materialize.
The ongoing saga surrounding the fate of Chinese app TikTok in the United States has taken a new turn as President Donald Trump and his administration threaten to shut down the popular video-sharing app if a deal involving its sale to U.S. buyers fails to come to fruition. The warning comes amid faltering negotiations between the U.S. and China, with the Chinese government seemingly unwilling to approve the terms of the proposed deal.
Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, recently confirmed during an appearance on CNBC that if China does not approve the latest version of the deal, which could result in a U.S.-specific version of TikTok, the administration is prepared to shut down the app in the near future. Lutnick stated that under the proposed deal, “China can have a little piece or ByteDance, the current owner, can keep a little piece, but basically, Americans will have control. Americans will own the technology, and Americans will control the algorithm.”
According to Lutnick, “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.”
TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has long maintained that the U.S. can address its national security concerns without forcing a sale. In January, ByteDance board member Bill Ford suggested that a non-sale option “could involve a change of control locally to ensure TikTok complies with U.S. legislation” without necessitating the sale of the app or its algorithm.
The U.S.’s insistence on controlling TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which is seen as the app’s secret to global popularity by TikTok proponents and as a Chinese psyop weapon by conservatives, is a sticking point for ByteDance. The company may be reluctant to sell the algorithm, as it would involve sharing its core intellectual property with U.S. competitors.
Peter Schweizer has written extensively on the dangers of TikTok and what a potential deal may look like:
Schweizer points out that if China refuses to agree to a sale, it is because, as he disclosed in Blood Money, the algorithm used by the app is considered a state secret, not a regular “business” secret. The Chinese government has been quoted calling the app “a modern-day Trojan Horse” and a “key part of their information-driven mental warfare” against the West. The book showed that ByteDance does joint research with Chinese intelligence agencies on how to manipulate people online.
“China has been studying this for years,” he adds.
As the September deadline approaches, the fate of TikTok hangs in the balance, with the potential for a shutdown looming on the horizon if a deal cannot be reached.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
