It’s no secret that President Donald Trump is invested in the survival of TikTok. He has been working to ensure the app doesn’t get banned in the U.S. since he took office on Jan. 20. Now, things are finally starting to come together as a deal has been reached for American software firms to take control of the U.S. operational side of TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
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But could this mean that TikTok will soon become “MAGA-Tok?” Here’s what we know.
On Thursday (Sept. 25), Trump signed an executive order to separate the U.S. operational side of the app from the Chinese technology company, ByteDance, handing over control to American software firm Oracle, which will be in charge of the app’s user data, cloud service, and even the algorithm, according to The Guardian.
“This deal does put America first,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “And let me just be very clear. This deal means that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans in the United States. There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans.”
This signing has worried American users on TikTok who feel that the president will take over their algorithm, push MAGA-related content and have a final say on what gets uploaded.
One TikTok user, Kiki (@kikiraereal), addressed her followers to say that none of that would happen, but you would have to download the U.S. version of the social media app, and there will be changes to the algorithm.
“If this happens… I quit,” wrote one user.
“Guess I’m done with the app if he does that,” added another.
“Cutting us off from the rest of the world. Censorship,” wrote another worried user in the comments.
If you are also panicking over these changes, let us clear it up for you: While there is some truth to what folks on TikTok are saying — including possibly needing to redownload a new app — this information hasn’t been confirmed as fact.
On CBS Mornings, MoneyWatch Correspondent Kelly O’Grady shared some insight into what the executive order could mean for U.S. TikTok users.
“What we do not know for sure is whether you would have to redownload this app, but I did talk to a number of technology experts, and they said if the algorithm is the same, you would just have the exact same experience as you do now.”
However, O’Grady also added that the algorithm would have to be retrained:
“…The security concerns were China having access to user data… The White House says retraining the algorithm is going to solve the security concerns, but I did speak to a number of experts myself, and they said it’s really going to come down to whether this algorithm can be updated outside of the U.S.”
So while it is unclear how the new algorithm will work, it does not mean that TikTok will become full-blown MAGA. In fact, according to NBC News, TikTok will continue to be globally interoperable, allowing TikTok users in the U.S. to see videos from users in other countries.
If you’re still not convinced, Trump was asked by a reporter after signing the executive order if this meant more MAGA-related content would be pushed on the app. In response, he stated that while he would turn TikTok into MAGA-Tok if he could; unfortunately for him, the app will remain as it is, per NBC News.
“I always like MAGA-related. Yeah, if I could make it 100% MAGA, I would, but it’s not going to work out that way, unfortunately. No, everyone’s going to be treated fairly. Every group, every philosophy, every policy will be treated very fairly.”
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