Donald Trump is set to save TikTok, but this pending deal isn’t passing the smell test.
PBS News reports that Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday laying the groundwork for a new TikTok deal that will allow American users to continue using the platform.
Under the agreement, Oracle will lead the US oversight of TikTok’s algorithm and security in the United States.
The website also reports that the Trump administration will have no stake in the joint venture and will not be on the board.
But alarm bells are ringing because of who else will be on the board, and gaining control of the media directed towards the youth who will be using the platform.
Here’s a clue, Trump’s billionaire buddies.
Per The Gaurdian:
Among the other investors, Trump said in a Fox News interview on Sunday, are media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, the CEO of Fox Corporation. Trump said Michael Dell, the CEO of the computer maker Dell, would also be involved.
TikTok would get a new seven-member board of directors, six of them Americans. It is a distinct possibility that Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance and Larry’s son, will occupy some of those seats.
Yikes.
Social Media Is Sounding Off About The TikTok Deal
Social media has been vocal about the deal and the potential problems it may cause due to TikTok’s ownership.
“Biden signed the law that banned TikTok unless it was sold to American investors. This law is allowing the right/far right to control another major social media platform. Biden prioritized censoring criticism of Israel, and now more speech will be censored,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, wrote, “Trump donor Larry Ellison’s Oracle will oversee TikTok’s algorithm. His media company owns CBS News and is plotting a bid for Warner Bros., which owns CNN. When billionaires take control of communication platforms, it’s not a win for free speech. It’s a win for oligarchy.”
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