Trump to approve deal allowing TikTok to continue operating in US: White House

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign a deal Thursday allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US under new security conditions, according to a senior White House official.

The US official told CBS News on Wednesday that the agreement, described by the administration as a “qualified divestiture,” would satisfy a bipartisan law requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to cut ties or face a nationwide ban.

The official said the deal will give American investors, including Oracle, a stake in the company while Oracle provides “top to bottom security” by hosting US user data and reviewing the app's code to ensure “the algorithm is behaving appropriately and it’s secure.”

Under the plan, ByteDance's powerful recommendation algorithm would be copied and retrained to run solely on American data.

“We feel 100% confident that this proposal, if it’s completed, complies with the law,” the official said, adding it meets “all the relevant laws and policies on both sides.”

Yet, not all lawmakers are convinced.

Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House China Committee, warned that “the reported licensing deal may involve ongoing reliance by the new TikTok on a ByteDance algorithm and application that could allow continued CCP control or influence.”

The law, upheld by the Supreme Court, bars any operational ties between a US-owned TikTok and ByteDance but leaves final authority to the president to determine what constitutes a true divestiture.