WASHINGTON (Realist English). The White House said Saturday that a prospective agreement on TikTok would place U.S. companies in charge of the algorithm driving the app’s video feed and give Americans a majority of seats on a new oversight board for U.S. operations.
The arrangement, still being finalized, is intended to address longstanding U.S. concerns about Chinese parent company ByteDance and the risk that Beijing could influence content on the platform. A central sticking point has been whether TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm would remain under Chinese control if ByteDance divests its American assets.
Congress last year passed legislation setting a January deadline for a nationwide ban on TikTok unless a deal is reached. President Donald Trump has repeatedly signed executive orders delaying the ban while his administration negotiates with Beijing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Oracle would manage TikTok’s data and security, while Americans would hold six of the seven seats on the oversight board. She added that “the algorithm will also be controlled by America as well.” Oracle declined to comment.
Trump, speaking to reporters after a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, said “great American patriots” were prepared to invest in TikTok. “They are very smart technologically, and they will not let anything bad happen,” he said.
Leavitt said the administration is “100% confident that a deal is done” and that both sides are working to formalize the agreement. She framed the outcome as balancing privacy safeguards with the app’s popularity: “TikTok is a vital part of our democratic process.”
A statement from Beijing after Trump’s call with Xi did not clarify whether China would approve the transfer of control over TikTok’s algorithm.
Public opinion on the issue remains divided. A Pew Research Center survey found that one-third of Americans back a ban, another third oppose it, and the rest are undecided. Supporters of a ban cite data security as their chief concern.
Leavitt said she expects the deal to be signed “in the coming days.”
