US lawmakers raise concerns over TikTok algorithm licensing

US policymakers are casting a wary eye on a proposed deal that would see the algorithm powering TikTok licensed to the app’s future American owners, even as China-based ByteDance moves to comply with a US law amid ongoing national security anxieties.

Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, warned that any arrangement allowing Beijing to retain influence—particularly through the algorithm—could jeopardise US interests.

“Anytime you have [China] with leverage over the algorithm, I think that’s a problem,” Moolenaar told attendees at a Washington policy event. As of now, he’s awaiting a security briefing with further details on the agreement.

White House deal and legal context

In the leadup to the presidential transition, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order affirming that a plan to sell TikTok’s US operations met the stringent requirements established in a landmark 2024 law.

According to that order, ownership and algorithmic control of the platform must ultimately rest with a new US-majority joint venture, with American security partners overseeing the retraining and operation of TikTok’s core recommendation engine.

The current framework calls for six of the seven board seats in the new company to be held by Americans, with ByteDance—which would also cease to be majority owner—appointing the final director. Their remaining stake in TikTok US would drop below 20 per cent, in line with federal mandates.

Technical challenges

But even in this new structure, ambiguity remains about just how much ByteDance might continue to influence TikTok’s US product. Representative Moolenaar echoed technology experts’ uncertainty about whether a complete “reprogramming”—or isolation—of the algorithm is technically feasible.

“I just believe you have to have a new algorithm, and I don’t know that you can reprogram,” he admitted, noting that the plan still has many unresolved facets.

Meanwhile, TikTok has yet to issue a public response on the matter, leaving lawmakers and the public alike with unanswered questions about the true independence and security of the famous “For You” feed.

Enforcement of the ban was recently delayed until right after the next presidential inauguration in January, but pressure remains for all parties to finalise an acceptable solution—and ensure that US user data and algorithmic decision-making are truly out of foreign hands.