On September 21, Mr. Donald Trump revealed that famous figures in the media and technology industry such as rupert Murdoch, son of Lachlan Murdoch, and Michael Dell Technologies - could "join the investment group" in the US TikTok deal.
Mr. Trump said that this group includes prestigious people, "patriotic", and will do "good deeds". In addition to the two billionaires Murdoch and Dell, Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle - a US multinational conglomerate of computer technology, has also been confirmed to take on the role of data control and security in the new platform. The US government wants to ensure that the TikTok platform after the acquisition will be controlled by Americans, especially data and algorithms.
The US Senate has passed a 2024 law requiring TikTok to resell to an American company if it wants to continue operating in the country, for national security reasons. The Trump administration has repeatedly extended the deadline for signing the deal.
TikTok has about 170 million users in the US, and President Trump said the app helped him connect with the younger generation in the election campaign.
It is unclear how Murdoch or Dell will invest, what role they will play in the board, and whether the deal will be finalized before the December 16 deadline as expected by the government. The government has also pledged to tightly control access to algorithms and user data - one of the major security concerns that US lawmakers have raised.
Murdochs alleged involvement in the deal comes as a big surprise. It reflects how politics, media and business benefits are interwoven in high- impact projects. Experts say that if billionaires Murdoch and Dell join, the deal will be more feasible in terms of both finance and legality.
However, there are also concerns from privacy groups and the opposition party that deals could be abused to censor content, suppress freedom of expression, or reduce transparency - if the control is not tightly designed.
