There’s No ‘American-Owned TikTok’
A U.S. buyer won’t neutralize the app’s national security threat
By John Mac Ghlionn
For four years, President Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly sounded the alarm about the existential threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), highlighting Beijing’s ambitions and the dangers they present to the West.
They were right.
But now Trump seems ready to waver, leaving China’s premier digital Trojan Horse firmly planted on American soil.
In what can only be described as a baffling volte-face, the president is engaging in talks to allow Oracle, Elon Musk, or even YouTuber MrBeast to take over TikTok. Crucially, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, would reportedly retain a stake, meaning that its fingerprints would remain all over TikTok’s operations. If a deal like this goes through, it would represent a clear capitulation, a superficial maneuver that fails to shield Americans from the CCP’s digital overreach.
TikTok represents a national security challenge far greater than its ownership structure suggests: It is a living, evolving system, one that remains firmly under Beijing’s influence. Its DNA—its algorithms, data infrastructure, and operational oversight—is inextricably tied to ByteDance and the engineers in China who designed it to serve the CCP. The app’s addictive recommendation engine is more than a piece of software; it is a strategic asset, shaped and fine-tuned under the watchful eye of ByteDance’s leadership. This is not an off-the-shelf technology that can be handed over to a new owner like a used car.
In 2014, ByteDance established an internal Chinese Communist Party committee. To be clear, this is a mandatory legal and operational requirement for companies of its size in China, not a symbolic gesture. Such committees are tasked with ensuring that the company’s activities align with the CCP’s directives and national interests. This means that even as ByteDance operates globally, it is inextricably tied to the political machinery of Beijing. This committee directly impacts TikTok’s operations and decision-making, underscoring the fact that ByteDance’s loyalty ultimately lies with the CCP. No matter who owns TikTok on paper, the app remains an extension of a company structurally and ideologically bound to China’s ruling regime.
Adding to the absurdity of the TikTok saga is that the app itself is banned in China. Its domestic counterpart, Douyin, is a sanitized, family-friendly version designed to promote “positive” content and reinforce social harmony. While TikTok in the United States serves up an endless stream of dumb, dangerous, and often deadly content, Douyin offers its users the digital equivalent of chamomile tea. Educational videos and wholesome entertainment dominate the platform and strict screen-time limits exist for younger users. In essence, China gives its people a carefully curated diet of digital serenity while exporting to the United States the cultural equivalent of crack cocaine—highly addictive, chaotic, and designed to keep users hooked and distracted.
To truly sever TikTok from the CCP’s grasp, the United States would need to overhaul its entire infrastructure—an undertaking so complex it borders on the impossible. TikTok’s algorithms aren’t just lines of code—they are the result of years of machine learning, data collection, and fine-tuning to serve ByteDance’s strategic interests. These include maximizing user engagement, harvesting vast amounts of data, and shaping narratives to align with its agenda. Constantly evolving, the algorithm predicts and influences user behavior, giving ByteDance significant control over what people see, think about, and interact with. Even if sold to an American entity, these algorithms remain integral to the deal.
The Trump administration’s willingness to entertain a domestic sale speaks to a deeper problem: the inability to grasp the true nature of the threat. TikTok is a weapon in the CCP’s arsenal, a tool for soft power and influence. By allowing a deal where ByteDance retains a stake—even a minority one—the United States would be handing Beijing a backdoor into the American digital ecosystem. It isn’t a question of whether China would abuse this access, but of when and how.
It’s hard to conceptualize the level to which the CCP has already done so. China has stolen the personal data of 80% of Americans. And this isn’t just about phone numbers or shopping habits. With access to all that data, China can map entire social networks, anticipate behaviors, and subtly influence decisions. The CCP can craft disinformation campaigns with such precision that they manipulate public opinion and deepen societal divisions at critical moments. A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence last year confirmed that China is using TikTok to expand its global influence, promote pro-Beijing narratives, and undermine U.S. democracy. Beyond propaganda, the CCP can exploit personal data for blackmail, targeting politicians, military officials, and corporate leaders alike. In 2023, a former ByteDance executive revealed that Beijing has unrestricted access to this data—even when stored in the U.S.
As one of the earliest voices to raise the alarm about TikTok, I find the president’s decision both disturbing and disheartening. It was clear from the beginning that TikTok was more than a harmless app for sharing dance videos. Its meteoric rise in the U.S. was no accident; it was a calculated move by ByteDance, executed with precision and backed by the full weight of the CCP. The app’s success is a testament to China’s ability to wield technology as a tool of influence and control. To treat this as a simple matter of ownership is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the threat.
The absurdity of the proposed buyers only heightens the concern. MrBeast, despite his entrepreneurial success, can’t possibly navigate TikTok’s geopolitical complexities, and Elon Musk faces obvious conflicts of interest through Tesla’s ties to China. Oracle, a leader in enterprise tech, is equally ill-suited, as its expertise in business software and cloud solutions falls far short of managing a global social media platform with billions of users.
If we insist on having a TikTok-like platform, why can’t Silicon Valley, the birthplace of social media, replicate its secret sauce? This is the land that gave us Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube—platforms that reshaped global communication and entertainment. Surely, the same innovators who pioneered the digital age—imperfect though they are—can develop an alternative that captures TikTok’s appeal without compromising national security.
The solution isn’t to sell TikTok to an American buyer but to ban it outright. While it may sound extreme, this is the only way to eliminate the threat posed by its data collection and influence operations. A ban would send a clear message to Beijing: The United States will not tolerate digital espionage and propaganda tools on its soil.
Of course, a ban would not come without costs. TikTok is immensely popular, particularly among younger Americans, and its sudden disappearance would spark outrage. But leadership is about making tough decisions, about putting the long-term interests of the nation above short-term political considerations. This is a geopolitical marshmallow test, evaluating our ability to prioritize national security over instant gratification.
If Trump is serious about putting America first, he must be willing to endure the backlash. In the end, the TikTok tale is a microcosm of a larger struggle, one that will define the 21st century. It is a battle for dominance over the digital domain, for the power to shape minds and influence societies. By failing to take decisive action, Trump risks ceding this battlefield to Beijing.