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TikTok caught in US-China battle over its powerful algorithm
Chinese parent company ByteDance stuck between legal manoeuvres aimed at controlling video app’s future
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The Chinese government is likely to block ByteDance from selling TikTok’s algorithm technology.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Hannah Murphy, Cristina Criddle and Ryan McMorrow
The United States and Chinese governments are battling for control over the algorithm that powers TikTok, with the short-form video app trapped in a geopolitical tug of war over its future.
ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok, has faced US demands that the app be sold to cut ties to its home country, while the Chinese government has taken legal measures to prevent any divestment without its consent.
