According to a Reuters exclusive, TikTok is working on a clone version of its algorithm. This would allow the American version of TikTok to be separated from parent company ByteDance.
By separating the source code of the app, the looming TikTok ban might be avoided. TikTok itself has denied the claims.
Anonymous Sources: Engineers Working to Split Code
According to anonymous sources, hundreds of engineers that are working for ByteDance and TikTok have been instructed to start separating millions of lines of code, a job that is referred to as “complex” and “dirty work.”
By creating a separate version of the algorithm, the American variant of TikTok could become independent of Douyin, the Chinese version of the social media app. Reuters reports that the task is tedious and will take at least a year.
An earlier attempt to separate U.S. user data within in the TikTok app — the so-called Project Texas — was unsuccessful.
TikTok Denies Claims
The Reuters exclusive is based on anonymous sources. Initially, TikTok refused to provide a response. However, since then, the company has made a statement on X claiming the Reuters article is “misleading and factually inaccurate.”
In the same tweet, the company refers to the American law that came into effect earlier this year which requires ByteDance to divest the American version of TikTok. ByteDance states the law is not only feasible from a commercial and technological standpoint, but also legally impossible.
America vs. TikTok: An Ongoing Battle
The show-down between TikTok and the United States government continues. Despite the fact that TikTok has over 170 million U.S. users and is immensely popular, criticism is growing.
President Biden has expressed concern about the way ByteDance collects data. On top of that, the current President is of the opinion that the app gives Beijing too much political power.
Donald Trump, who tried to pass a national TikTok ban years ago, has actually joined the platform a few days ago. In the run-up to the elections, both presidential candidates are looking to TikTok as part of their campaign strategy to pull votes from young people.
