Will the TikTok algorithm change? Sacramento creator weighs in on agreement
The popular international application TikTok has announced major changes in an agreement to keep the vertical video platform in the United States.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September, responding to concerns about the security of U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm, according to a news release.
The changes create an independent entity to operate the platform away from its original ownership.
TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC will manage global products interoperability and certain commercial activities such as e-commerce, advertising and marketing, according to reporting from the BBC.
The platform’s For You Page, its content recommendation algorithm, has been licensed to tech firm Oracle, according to the BBC.
But what does that mean, and what changes will that bring to the beloved app?
Here’s what to know:
Will the TikTok algorithm change?
Short answer: maybe.
Oracle, has overseen TikTok U.S. user data since June 2022, in order to comply with security concerns from Trump’s first presidential term, according to the BBC.
With this new TikTok deal, Oracle will now secure more of the app, including retraining and updating its recommendation algorithm based on U.S. user data.
Though the TikTok news release said the application will maintain a “global TikTok experience,” content creators and users of the app have shared concerns about the U.S. leadership.
Ashley Newell is a Sacramento-based content creator who highlights local businesses with her platform.
She said in an interview with The Bee that TikTok provided her a global unique perspective that expanded her worldview when it came to education and health care.
In Newell’s experience, the TikTok algorithm provided diverse content especially in comparison to other major platforms like Instagram that continuously shows content related to the interest of the user.
“What was so special about TikTok, especially early TikTok, was that the algorithm was so intuitive to you that it was giving you things that you didn’t know you needed, and it opened my eyes to the whole world versus our limited experiences here in the United States,” Newell said.
According to the news release, Joint Venture will retain, test and update the platform’s For You page on U.S. user data. The algorithm will be secured in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment.
“Interoperability enables the Joint Venture to provide U.S. users with a global TikTok experience, ensuring U.S. creators can be discovered and businesses can operate on a global scale,” said TikTok in the news release.
Why is TikTok being scrutinized?
In July 2020, President Donald Trump ordered China’s ByteDance, a Chinese internet company, to divest ownership of the application for its potential as a national security risk, according to the White House National Archives.
Since then, an array of executive orders from Trump and former President Joe Biden have been signed, overturned and enacted including the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, prohibiting the use of the app on devices owned by the federal government, according to the Congress website.
The push for scrutiny of the international application was due to the high usage by Americans.
As of 2024, a third of U.S. adults used the app and about six in 10 teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok daily, according to the Pew Research Center.
Across party lines, U.S. leaders held concerns over the potential risk that data gathered by an international app could have.
The outcome of this concern resulted in federal push to divest the company, setting what Newell believes is a “slippery slope” of allowing the government to push deals that companies are not agreeing with.
For Newell, TikTok’s most valuable feature was that it allowed users to be part of a global economy.
“That’s part of what’s beautiful about the technology,” Newell said. “It doesn’t have to be (that) everyone has to be all encompassing and have everything in their own country that’s only their version. Why do we need an American version of TikTok? Why can’t we be in the global TikTok?”
