Oracle to Control TikTok Algorithm for U.S. Users Under Proposed Deal

A senior White House official confirmed that Oracle will control TikTok's algorithm for American users once the proposed sale of the social media platform is completed, resolving a key question about the structure of the deal.

The agreement would transfer control of TikTok's U.S. operations to a new joint venture based in the United States. Oracle and private equity firm Silver Lake are confirmed investors in the new ownership group. President Trump indicated over the weekend that Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and media executives Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch may also join as investors.

Under the proposed structure, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance would retain less than 20 percent ownership in the U.S. entity following the transaction.

The White House said Trump plans to sign an executive order later this week declaring that the deal satisfies the requirements of legislation passed by Congress last year. That law requires TikTok to be sold to non-Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States.

The algorithm control arrangement with Oracle addresses national security concerns that have driven the push for TikTok's divestiture from Chinese ownership, though specific details about how Oracle would oversee the platform's content recommendation system have not been disclosed.