A new development stands out on the issue of Tiktok, which has long been busy with the agenda between the US and China. According to The Wall Street Journal, the agreement to secure the platform’s activities in the United States began to embodiment. Within the scope of the agreement, Tiktok’s US branch will be largely under the supervision of American investors. Thus, the “rescue of Tiktok” plan that the Trump administration has long suggested has become evident.
As a result of the pressure of the Trump administration, the majority of Tiktok’s US operations are left to American investors. Oracle is the pioneer of this investor group. It is stated that these companies will control a share of approximately 80 percent in total. The share of Chinese shareholders is set to remain below 20 percent limit. In addition, the fact that the US government has the right to direct a member of the board of directors is among the critical articles of the agreement.
The US government will directly send representatives to the TIKTOK board of directors.
One of the remarkable points of the new structure is the right to represent the US government directly. This shows that Vashington aims to provide a stronger surveillance and supervision on the platform. Although this move provides assurance in terms of data security, the possibility of content policies to be exposed to political impacts leads to controversy. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how users’ expectations and political interests will be balanced. In addition to all these, it is another title that wonders whether the original structure of the application can be protected.
The Chinese side has announced that it has approved the agreement, but a different approach to the algorithm comes up. According to the news, engineers will reestablish the algorithm with the technology licensed by ByTedance. Thus, a new Tiktok version of the American market will be developed. This method shows that the origin of the algorithm is not completely broken. However, this technical solution can lead to the continuation of criticism, as it will not completely eliminate the bond with China.
Oracle’s role in the process stands out in terms of the security of the data of American users. The company has long been in contact with Tiktok about data safety. With the new agreement, user data will be kept within the US borders. In addition, Oracle’s supervision aims to prevent the transfer of data to third parties. Nevertheless, the question of which audit mechanisms will be controlled is still not answered.
Trump closely follows the process for the rapid conclusion of the agreement. Trump postponed the prohibition decision for the current version of the application for the fourth time and saves time for negotiations with this step. In a statement in the White House, Chinese President said he would meet with Shi Cinping. This meeting is expected to clarify the last details of the agreement. In addition, it is aimed to soften the political blood pressure between the two countries in this process.
Tiktok’s future in America is not limited to the continuity of an application. Data security, user privacy and global technology competition are the main headings of this process. However, the continuation of China’s influence on the algorithm keeps the debate on independence on the agenda. On the other hand, the weight gain of American investors can increase the reliability of the platform. This contradictory situation leads to opposite evaluations in different segments of the public.
The technology contention between China and the USA is gaining a new dimension through Tiktok. How the application will travel in America will directly affect the future of digital policies. In addition, it is still not clear how the content experiences of young users will be affected by this agreement. However, the reflection of political pressures on the functioning of the platform is seen as a strong possibility. For this reason, question marks continue on the diversity and freedom of content.
The control of American investors to take over the control aims to strengthen the application of the application with local users. In addition, the Chinese side maintains its impact on the algorithm causes the agreement to remain controversial in the long run. This dual structure, on the one hand, eliminates security concerns while keeping the issue of independence on the agenda. In spite of everything, Tiktok’s popularity in America is expected to decrease in the short term. The entertainment and content consumption habits of users seem to be not affected by this process.