US TikTok algorithm to be secured by Oracle, White House confirms

The White House announced Monday that tech giant Oracle will retrain and secure a US version of TikTok’s algorithm as part of a deal for the sale of the Chinese-owned app’s American operations.

A senior official said the agreement involves integrating a copy of TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm into the US joint venture system.

"It's going to be fully inspected and retrained by the security provider on US user data, and then it's going to be operated by that US entity," the official said. 

Oracle is led by the Ellison family, whose influence in the US media sector has already grown to high but worrying levels. 

Read more: Ellison family’s grip on media set to reach TikTok

The family’s most prominent acquisition is the recent merger of Skydance Media with Paramount Global, creating the new entity Paramount Skydance Corporation.

This deal gives the Ellison family control of an array of major media properties, including CBS News, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon.

Now, the family’s power has expanded to TikTok. 

Media watchdogs, such as the Open Markets Institute, have raised alarms, arguing that the Skydance-Paramount deal should have been blocked.

The new TikTok arrangement, referred to as "Project Texas," is presented as a national security solution to concerns that the Chinese government could access the data of American users or manipulate the app's content.