Proposed TikTok Solution Would Have Oracle Provide Data Security
One of the deals being considered to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. reportedly involves Oracle taking a small stake in the company and working with U.S. buyers to ensure that no user data would be accessible to the Chinese government.
That is one of the proposals being considered as the April 5 deadline for a deal approaches, Bloomberg reported Tuesday (March 18).
The proposal would leave TikTok’s algorithms in Chinese hands while ensuring that a new U.S. version of the app would not have a back door that could be exploited by the Chinese government, according to the report.
However, it would not address U.S. concerns that China could use the app to spread propaganda, the report said.
The report also said it is not clear what would make the security precautions of this proposal different from an existing partnership called Project Texas in which Oracle works with TikTok to secure U.S. user data.
The proposal is tentative, the details could change, and any deal would require approval from the White House, from TikTok parent company ByteDance and from the Chinese government, per the report.
Politico reported Sunday (March 16) that Oracle was in “advanced” talks to run TikTok but that there were still concerns about the role the video sharing app’s Chinese founders would play in its future in the U.S.
Three bidders for TikTok’s U.S. operations are publicly known, according to Tuesday’s Bloomberg report. They include a group led by billionaire Frank McCourt and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, a group that includes tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley and YouTube star MrBeast, and a merger offer by Perplexity AI.
Other possible bidders have been rumored or suggested, per the report.
Vice President JD Vance, who is overseeing the Trump administration’s discussions on the future of TikTok, told NBC News on March 14 that he expects a deal to be made that will keep the app operating in the U.S. while also protecting national security, according to the report.
A U.S. law required TikTok to be sold or banned by Jan. 19 but President Donald Trump extended the deadline upon taking office on Jan. 20.
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