REDMOND, Wash. — With the future of TikTok in the United States in limbo, several companies have been mentioned as potentially buying the app to preserve its use in the United States. President Donald Trump said Monday that Microsoft has told him they are potentially interested in buying TikTok, a move that has some who use TikTok in Western Washington pretty concerned.
“It sucks. It’s terrible. I don’t trust them at all and if they buy the company I just won’t use it,” Julian, who is a fan of the app, said.
Cyber security experts like Dave Henderson with Cyber Streams understand why there are concerns about the app given its security concerns from the United States government and cyber security experts.
“You know the big concern of TikTok and the reason this is happening is that people are concerned the People’s Republic of China have a bunch of control over that and they are able to use TikTok to spy on us,” Henderson said.
This is part of the reason he feels anyone who can buy the app, like Microsoft, would be a good thing for both the app and the user.
“So buying TikTok and making it a US asset can only be better,” Henderson said.
The exact logistics of the deal and what it entails remain uncertain including whether or not the app’s algorithm will be a part of any transaction. The app’s current owner, ByteDance, says the algorithm is a core part of their operations.
“It’s understanding patterns, look at where you are at and the Geocortex and that kind of stuff and feeding you pertinent new information,” Josh Dirks with Project Bionic describing how the algorithm works so well. Project Bionic is a Social Media Ad Company based in Seattle. Dirks understands the security concerns with TikTok, but he argues if whoever buys the app has to come up with a new algorithm, it could have a drastic impact either way.
“If they turn it into another Skype or Linkedin, I think that the user experience is going to be greatly and drastically altered and I think it will become another one of those things where it’s like ‘yeah, I’m on there, but I am not on there for the time that is being spent today on it,” Dirks said.
While there are more details about this deal to learn, experts like Dirks believe the best move for the user is for other companies to try to buy the app, too.
“I think you are hoping for somebody else to come out of the woods and buys it,” Dirks said.
Both TikTok and Microsoft have not commented any specifics about a potential deal.
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