It’s been nearly four months since ByteDance handed over TikTok’s US operations to a new joint venture, but there’s still not much information about what the company is actually doing to fulfill its stated mission to protect user data and prevent unwanted manipulation of its recommendation algorithm.
Now Sen. Ed Markey is looking for answers.
A Democratic senator sent letters On Friday, TikTok USDS, the joint venture that controls the app’s US business, and its “trusted security partner,” Oracle, called on both companies to be more transparent about how the deal was done.
“Given the limited information released by the Trump administration and TikTok USDS, I have serious questions about whether the TikTok deal will effectively protect against algorithmic manipulation,” Markey wrote. letter TikTok to USDS.
In the letter, Markey asked TikTok USDS to provide the specific terms of its license agreement with ByteDance, explain how the company plans to review TikTok’s source code, and answer whether ByteDance has obtained any user data.
Oracle’s Markey wants to know the contractual terms of his role in reviewing ByteDance’s source code and how many algorithms the joint venture will redevelop with Oracle’s oversight.
“Given Oracle’s central position in implementing national security measures, the company is responsible for transparency regarding the scope, performance and effectiveness of its obligations,” Markey wrote separately. letter to Oracle.
TikTok USDS and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Marky’s letters come months after TikTok announced in January, the new joint venture will oversee its US business. The company is controlled by three managing investors, each of whom has a 15% stake. The managing investors are Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX.
The rest of the joint venture is owned by investors, including affiliates of ByteDance’s investors. ByteDance itself still holds a 19.9% stake in the company.
The joint venture was created to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order in September, which allowed TikTok to continue operating in the US under new management.
In it announcementTikTok USDS said its mandate is to “protect US user data, applications, and algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures.” The company also said that the recommendation algorithm will be rebuilt on US user data and stored on Oracle servers.
But it seems some US lawmakers are still suspicious of TikTok, even under its new leadership.
US politicians have tried for years to force ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to relinquish control of the app over national security concerns over the app’s ties to China.
However, some lawmakers have suggested that the ban on TikTok has less to do with national security and more to do with political content spread on the platform.
During a forum in May 2024, then-Sen. Mitt Romney blamed broad bipartisan support for the TikTok ban on lawmakers’ divisiveness. Pro-Palestinian content in the program.
