Will TikTok split the source code to create a US-specific algorithm?

A report from Reuters said that creating a version of TikTok's recommendation algorithm that operates independently of Douyin, the Chinese version of the app operated by parent company ByteDance, has been underway since last year. According to anonymous sources, completion of the project could take more than a year and is part of a plan to show lawmakers that the US version is independent of its owner in Beijing.

The report said executives talked about the project in general meetings and on the company's internal messaging system, Lark. Sources also said the source code separation would cut TikTok off from the parent company's 'huge technical development power'.

TikTok responded by tweeting: 'The Reuters story published today is misleading and factually inaccurate' .

In an email to The Verge, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said: 'While we continue to work in good faith to further protect the authenticity of the TikTok experience, it is wrong to said that this work would facilitate divestment' and when asked whether the source code would be separated, he replied that it was '100% wrong' .

Previously, TikTok tried to convince lawmakers of the independence of its US version with its 'Project Texas' data warehouse, which it described as 'an unprecedented initiative to help every American. using TikTok feel safe, confident that their data is secure and that the platform is free from outside influence'.

TikTok has sued the US government to force its parent company to transfer control of the app to another party or face a ban, with a deadline of January 19, 2025. According to anonymous sources of Reuters, there are no plans to separate the companies; however, 'once the source code is disassembled, it could lay the groundwork for divestment in the United States' .

Jessica Tanner

Update 31 May 2024