Congress passed legislation calling for a TikTok ban to go into effect in January, but President Donald Trump has repeatedly signed orders that have allowed TikTok to keep operating in the United States as his administration tries to reach agreement for ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations.
Leavitt said “the algorithm will also be controlled by America as well,” offering more detail about how the deal, at least in the eyes of the White House, is taking shape.
TikTok’s algorithm fuels what users see on the app. American officials have warned the algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
Trump said after his call with Xi that American investors were lined up and that the Chinese leader has been “a gentleman” about the matter. The Republican president was vague on the crucial question of whether China would control the algorithm.
“It’s all being worked out,” Trump said. “We’re going to have very good control.”
Leavitt said Trump “recognized the need to protect Americans’ privacy and data while also keeping this app open,” adding that “TikTok is a vital part of our democratic process.”
Among those who said they supported banning the social media platform, about 8 in 10 cited concerns over users’ data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.
Leavitt expressed confidence that the agreement would be finalized soon. “Now we just need this deal to be signed,” she said. “And that will be happening, I anticipate, in the coming days.”
