Staff Reports
The looming TikTok deal has once again exposed the troubling willingness of American leaders and corporations to bend to Beijing’s influence. Despite Congress having already passed legislation requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban, President Trump now appears to be pivoting toward a compromise with the Chinese Communist Party. Negotiators are reportedly floating the possibility of “licensing” TikTok’s algorithm rather than fully transferring control. Such a move would undermine the very purpose of the law: cutting off Beijing’s ability to use TikTok as a tool of propaganda and surveillance inside the United States.
Licensing the algorithm is not a solution—it’s a shell game. Even if American investors or executives are put in charge of running the U.S. branch of TikTok, algorithmic control still represents the heart of the product. If ByteDance maintains leverage there, then the CCP retains the power to manipulate what millions of American users, especially children, see on their feeds. This is not some abstract risk; it’s a modern battlefield in the war of ideas, and it’s naïve to trust a hostile power with this influence over our culture, discourse, and democracy.
https://twitter.com/SteveForbesCEO/status/1968793654933496002
Republicans in Congress are right to be alarmed, and they should demand the administration stay faithful to the law rather than entertaining backroom deals that protect TikTok’s Chinese ownership. Investigations and whistleblower accounts have already revealed that sensitive user data has been accessed and funneled directly back to China. To allow any loophole that enables ByteDance to retain control—whether over data pipelines or the algorithm itself—is to grant the CCP an open door into the digital lives of 170 million Americans. Framing this issue as one of free speech or business freedom misses the point; this is a national security matter.
The investor groups now circling TikTok claim to represent a solution, but partial ownership and licensing agreements do not solve the core problem. At best, they would obscure Beijing’s continuing influence behind corporate paperwork. At worst, they would give cover to American companies that want to profit off the app while ignoring the strategic threat. For years, China has weaponized technology to spy on its own citizens, suppress dissent, and export its authoritarian vision abroad. To imagine TikTok would be treated any differently is willful blindness.
Ultimately, this comes down to leadership and priorities. If President Trump moves forward with a watered-down deal that offers TikTok a reprieve while keeping China’s hand on the wheel, he risks betraying his own America First promises. The law is clear. The CCP is not a partner; it is an adversary. There can be no compromise on American sovereignty, especially when the battlefield is the minds and private data of our citizens. This is a moment to demonstrate strength, not concession—because if we fail to stand our ground now, we will be handing the keys to our digital future straight to Beijing.
