Posted on 07/30/2025 2:18:16 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday that TikTok will go dark for Americans unless China agrees to give the U.S. more control over the popular short-form video app.
"We've made the decision. You can't have Chinese control and have something on 100 million American phones," Lutnick told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Thursday.
TikTok's future in the U.S. has been uncertain since 2024, when Congress passed a bill that would ban the platform unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divested from it.
Lawmakers had grown concerned that the Chinese government could access sensitive data from American users or manipulate content on the platform.
TikTok's future in the U.S. has been uncertain since 2024, when Congress passed a bill that would ban the platform unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divested from it.
Lawmakers had grown concerned that the Chinese government could access sensitive data from American users or manipulate content on the platform.
Deal talks have dragged.
Last month, President Donald Trump extended the deadline for a third time since taking office in January. Now, ByteDance has until Sept. 17. to divest TikTok's U.S. business.
"Basically, Americans will have control. Americans will own the technology. Americans will control the algorithm. That's something Donald Trump is willing to do," Lutnick said.
He added that if China doesn't approve the deal, "then TikTok is going to go dark."
CNBC has reached out to TikTok for comment.
It's not clear where deal talks stand. Trump told Fox News in an interview late last month that he has a group of "very wealthy people" ready to buy the platform.
Earlier this month, the private equity firm Blackstone pulled out of a consortium bid for TikTok's U.S. operations, according to a report from Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lunatic...?
Don’t we have enough crazies in Washington DC. and the federal gov’t...?
TikTok played a HUGE role in getting Trump elected.
Trump realizes that. I think he'll try to get a deal done.
They are talking about Larry Ellison of Oracle owning it. That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. We don’t want China having control of what you see. You’ll be much safer if Larry Ellison and the CIA run it. That’ll be the end of TikTok, everyone will move on to something else.
An another will spring up to take its place, there are no sacred cows, everything can be replaced.
More likely there will be a TikTok clone. And that'll be a big hit. And no, it won't be a product by Meta.
He may be interested in getting a deal done. But having government infested American big tech takeover tick-tock? No point in using it anymore.
We should call this what it is, the Mark Zuckerberg matter protection act. Facebook is on life-support, Instagram utterly sucks, and tick-tock was eating them alive. So Zuckerberg ran to his congressman that he owns and had them pass this.
Rumors are that there will be an American version of TikTok. But from what people are saying, they are refusing to migrate to that app when it comes out in September.
Yep.
Can’t have Americans with free access to information, not unless it comes from within the United States, or in some cases Israel. If you stop and think about it, that was the point of the Berlin wall, that was the point of the USSR refusing to let people travel or leave the country. Foreign music, foreign books, foreign newspapers were all illegal back in the USSR.
American citizens are now being “protected” just the way the USSR was “protecting” their citizens.
Forcing the sale of TikTok can set a very bad precedent.
Any government of a foreign country might subsequently force the sale of any subsidiary of any American company doing business in that country.
Well, we've done it.
The "Great American Firewall" is here.
China allows zero foreign-owned social media apps in China. Even Google, etc... is generally banned in China. the CCP strictly enforces the Great Firewall of China - the CCP has total control over all media and internet
Not that we want to copy China - but since that's how they operate, it won't be a surprise to them, and US should apply maximum leverage.
In one sense Xi could care less, as 60% of Bytedance is owned by global institutional investors, not the Chinese government. But the longer TikTok goes dark, the owners will see the value of their holding slipping and THEY will pressure Xi to make a deal to sell TikTok to U.S. interests. Trump’s threat to let TikTok go dark is directed at Xi, but unless it becomes an actuality, not just a threat, Xi is not giving in.
CCP controlled TikTok is, after all, a most obvious national security risk. Anyone that want to sacrifice our national security because a bunch of Trump voters were on TikTok is throwing caution to the wind.
What are you talking about?
TikTok has been banned in India almost since its inception. It is said that they are collecting everyone’s personal data.
This is Google AI and you know how Left looney they are:
While TikTok insists it is not controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), concerns remain due to its parent company, ByteDance, being based in China and subject to Chinese law. Specifically, Chinese law compels companies to share data with the CCP when requested, and there are reports of CCP influence within ByteDance.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
TikTok’s Stance:
TikTok maintains it is a private company, not controlled by the CCP, and that it does not share user data with the Chinese government.
ByteDance and Chinese Law:
However, ByteDance is a Chinese company, and Chinese law requires companies to cooperate with the CCP on data requests.
National Security Concerns:
U.S. officials have expressed concerns that the CCP could potentially use TikTok to collect data on Americans, spread propaganda, or influence public opinion.
Potential for CCP Influence:
There are reports of ByteDance employees also working for Chinese state propaganda organizations, further raising concerns about CCP influence.
Proposed Legislation:
The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” (H.R. 7521) proposes that TikTok either divest from ByteDance or face a ban in the United States, highlighting the ongoing debate about TikTok’s ties to China.
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