GORDON CHANG: China’s TikTok Deal Great For China, Not For America

“We have signed agreements with investors regarding a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, enabling over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reported in a memo to employees on December 18.

In response to intense American pressure, ByteDance, the privately owned Chinese company that owns TikTok, agreed to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations.

According to Chew, the joint venture, named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, would be “majority owned by American investors, governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, and subject to terms that protect Americans’ data and U.S. national security.” (RELATED: Abrego Garcia Makes TikTok Videos As DHS Stays Silent Under Gag Order)

The deal, however, is not good for America. The Trump administration should either close TikTok or seize the extremely popular video-sharing app without compensation.

TikTok has posed two national security threats.

First, TikTok and its owner ByteDance have repeatedly made promises about the security of personal data of Americans, but they have not honored pledges and have broken U.S. statutes. The company settled charges that it violated U.S. child privacy laws.

Second, the Chinese regime uses TikTok’s curation or recommendation algorithm, which determines the distribution of videos, to propagate its narratives as well as spread hate, sow disinformation, 

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