TikTok Faces US Ban Without China’s Approval of Ownership Deal, Says Commerce Secretary
TikTok could be forced to cease operations in the United States if China does not approve a deal to sell its US business, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has warned.
Speaking to CNBC, Lutnick stressed that the US must gain control of the algorithm that powers the platform. “China can have a little piece, or ByteDance, the current owner, can keep a little piece. But basically, Americans will have control. Americans will own the technology, and Americans will control the algorithm,” he said.
Lutnick added, “If that deal gets approved by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don’t approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark — and those decisions are coming very soon.”
A proposed deal earlier this year aimed to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new, majority American-owned company. However, the plan stalled after China signalled its opposition, following President Trump’s announcement of steep new tariffs on Chinese imports.
