Senator Says China’s ByteDance Must Give Up Control of TikTok
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said April 2 that he will be disappointed if the Trump administration reaches a deal with China’s ByteDance that leaves the company in control of TikTok.
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Warner told reporters that Congress’s intent was clear when it passed a law in April 2024 requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban of the popular social media application in the U.S. (see 2503200062).
“We don’t want TikTok to go away. We just don’t want it controlled by one of our adversaries,” Warren said. But if the TikTok “algorithm, the secret sauce, remains in Beijing, then the whole effort has been a farce, the whole effort has been a scam.”
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., made similar comments March 19, saying that a deal that allows ByteDance to retain control of TikTok would violate the sell-or-ban law (see 2503200062). Moolenaar said he’s concerned that ByteDance is reportedly trying to keep control of the app in any potential deal.
President Donald Trump directed DOJ Jan. 20 to hold off for 75 days, or until April 5, on enforcing the TikTok law (see 2501210051). Trump said he would “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans." While Warner said he's aware of "at least four major bidders" for TikTok, TikTok has said the Chinese government wouldn't permit ByteDance to divest the app.