TikTok has refuted reports of creating a “US-only” algorithm that operates independently of its Chinese parent, noting it’s “simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally.”
Reutersreportedon Friday thatTikTokis working on a clone of its recommendation algorithm for its 170 million US users. The reported new algorithm would operate independently of its parent company, ByteDance, and is: “more palatable to American lawmakers who want to ban it.”
“Once the code is split, it could lay the groundwork for a divestiture of the U.S. assets, although there are no current plans to do so,” reads the Reuters report.
TikTok, however, denied having plans to split the algorithm, calling the Reuters report “misleading and factually inaccurate.”
The Reuters story published today is misleading and factually inaccurate. As we said in our court filing, the ‘qualified divestiture’ demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not…
In a statement toThe Verge, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said, “While we have continued work in good faith to further safeguard the authenticity of the TikTok experience, it is simply false to suggest that this work would facilitate divestiture or that divestiture is even a possibility,” calling the report about code split: “100 percent false.” However, a Reuters spokesperson said, “We stand by our reporting.”
TikTok hasalready challenged the bill in court, calling it “unconstitutional.” The short video platform has also repeatedlydenied reportsof selling its US operations.
Reuters reported that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ordered the splitting of the source code late last year, before a bill to force the sale of TikTok’s US operations began gaining momentum in Congress this year.
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Anurag Singh was a Tech Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, expertly covering laptops, smartphones, and wearables. He covers the biggest tech news from major brands such as Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft. He also has bylines at Android Police, Neowin, MakeTechEasier, Gizmochina.
