TikTok US pushes back on claims it is censoring content

In January 2026, TikTok reached an agreement to launch an independent US entity, resolving years of scrutiny over data privacy concerns. The deal, involving investment companies, many of which are American, establishes a US version of TikTok to avoid a ban in the United States. This follows 2024 legislation that forced TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The agreement was praised by President Trump, who delayed the ban when he assumed office in January 2025, and who touted his role in saving the platform. The new US TikTok entity will be controlled by American investors.

TikTok has finalized a deal to establish a new US entity, effectively sidestepping a potential ban and concluding a long legal battle. The agreement, approved by both the US and Chinese governments, involves ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, creating a majority American-owned venture. US investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake, will control 80.1% of the new entity, while ByteDance retains 19.9%. This development follows years of scrutiny and threats of a ban due to US concerns about data security and national security. Adam Presser will serve as CEO, and the new entity will operate under safeguards to protect US user data and ensure algorithm and content moderation security. The content recommendation algorithm will be retrained using US user data.

TikTok has finalized a deal to form a new American entity, averting a potential U.S. ban. The company signed agreements with investors like Oracle and Silver Lake to create a U.S. joint venture operating under enhanced data and algorithm security measures. Adam Presser, former TikTok head of operations, will lead the new venture as CEO, working with a majority-American board including TikTok CEO Shou Chew. The agreement follows a law passed by Congress and signed by President Biden, mandating TikTok find a new owner to avoid a U.S. ban due to national security concerns related to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Former President Trump praised the deal and thanked China's President Xi for his cooperation.

TikTok has launched a US joint venture, TikTok USDS, to manage the American content ecosystem, while commercial activities stay with existing US entities. The deal, approved by the Chinese government, is structured similarly to Apple's 2018 transfer of Chinese iCloud data to Guizhou-Cloud Big Data. ByteDance retains algorithms and intellectual property rights, holding a 19.9% stake in the joint venture, with Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX, and ByteDance investors holding the remaining shares. The joint venture will retrain the content recommendation algorithm using US user data, licensed from ByteDance, and provide safeguards for ByteDance's other US apps. This arrangement addresses previous concerns that led to Beijing's opposition to a direct divestiture, requiring approval for exporting technologies like TikTok's algorithm.

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have created a new US venture, averting a potential shutdown of the platform in the United States. The deal, finalized on Thursday just hours before a Friday deadline, transfers parts of TikTok's US operations to a consortium of primarily American investors. This agreement secures the app's future for its 170 million US users. The deal had been outlined by TikTok's CEO last month and received approval from both the US and Chinese governments. Former US President Donald Trump expressed his support for the deal, thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for his cooperation.