TikTok signs deal to give U.S. operations to Oracle-led investor group

“With an American majority running the content moderation, concerns about foreign propaganda seem to have been alleviated,” said Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University who studies the regulation of new technology. “But it is possible that the American TikTok might end up censoring or hiding speech that is permissible on the global TikTok platform. I would hope that the U.S. content moderation team would allow speech that the American owners might dislike.”

Under the terms of the sale, half of the new entity that will control the American version of TikTok will be owned by a consortium of investors including Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and United Arab Emirates state-backed investment firm MGX. Those three will control 45% of the new U.S. TikTok entity.