TikTok wins US reprieve after deal to secure data

Donald Trump is expected to sign off on the creation of a new US arm of the popular Chinese social video app TikTok later this week, which would see it continue to use owner ByteDance’s algorithm under the control and supervision of the tech giant Oracle.

- ANDREW FEINBERG IN WASHINGTON DC

The president has repeatedly extended the deadline for ByteDance to find a new owner in the US or be banned from American app stores in compliance with a 2024 law passed by Congress, a prospect that would have dismayed its 170 million US-based users.

The company refused to sell TikTok outright as it wanted to retain control of its app in other territories, hence the drawn-out struggle to find a solution to the impasse.

A deal with China has now reportedly been reached after a bilateral meeting between American and Chinese delegations in Madrid last week, followed by a call between Mr Trump and Chinese premier Xi Jinping.

The former is now expected to grant one final 120-day extension to allow for the completion of the deal, which was initially supposed to have been completed by January this year.

Ahead of a formal announcement from Mr Trump, a senior White House official told