Key Points
- Senator Ed Markey is demanding more transparency from the Trump administration about the TikTok sale.
- He accuses the White House of unlawfully extending the sale deadline and keeping the deal’s terms vague.
- The main concern is whether the U.S. company will truly own TikTok’s algorithm or just license it from its Chinese parent.
- The worries are bipartisan, with key Republicans also expressing concerns about the deal’s structure.
A top Democratic senator is demanding answers from President Donald Trump about the vague details of the proposed sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. In a letter on Monday, Senator Ed Markey accused the White House of a lack of transparency and of illegally extending deadlines related to the deal.
Back on September 25, President Trump signed an order that approved a plan for TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell a majority stake to a group of U.S. investors. This order delayed a potential ban on the app, used by 170 million Americans, until January 20. The administration claimed the plan would satisfy a 2024 national security law.
However, Markey argues that the White House has not followed the law. “Your repeated unlawful extensions of the divestment deadline and vague comments about the deal raise significant questions,” he wrote to Trump. He stressed that both Congress and the public need to know the exact terms of the agreement to ensure it truly protects national security.
The central point of concern is TikTok’s powerful algorithm. Markey questioned whether the new U.S. company would actually own the technology or simply license it from ByteDance. If it’s a licensing deal, he asked, “Will any changes to the algorithm by ByteDance affect the algorithm that is licensed to TikTok U.S.?” This could leave the door open for continued influence from China.
These worries cross party lines. Republican Representative John Moolenaar has also called a potential licensing agreement a “serious concern.” Under the current plan, ByteDance would keep a stake of less than 20% in the new U.S. company. The White House has not yet responded to the senator’s letter.
