Americans would dominate board of new TikTok US entity: W. House

TDT | Washington

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A deal for the Chinese parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok to sell its US operations would see the creation of a board dominated by Americans, the White House said Saturday.

“There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

She said a deal could be signed “in the coming days.” The United States has forcefully sought to take TikTok’s US operations out of the hands of Chinese parent company ByteDance for national security reasons.

Under President Donald Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, Congress passed a law to force ByteDance to sell its US operations or face a ban of the app.

US policymakers, including Trump in his first term, have warned that China could use TikTok to mine data from Americans or exert influence on what they see on social media.

But Trump turned to the platform, which is hugely popular with young Americans, to garner support during his successful 2024 presidential campaign.

The Republican president has repeatedly delayed implementation of the ban while a deal has been sought.

Investors reportedly being eyed to take over the app include Oracle, the tech firm owned by Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people -- and a major Trump supporter.

Leavitt seemed t o confirm Oracle’s participation.