Trump’s TikTok deal explained: who is Oracle? Why Walmart? And what does it mean for our data?
In this crossposting from The Conversation, Paul Haskell-Dowland and Nathalie Collins dig into the latest developments in the ongoing Tiktok rigmarole.
Plot twists in the TikTok saga continue to emerge daily, with a proposed deal to secure the future of the video sharing platform in the United States now in doubt.
Under the deal — which US President Donald Trump initially approved but now may not — US computer tech firm Oracle and retailer Walmart proposed a joint venture called TikTok Global, which would see customer data move to US-controlled infrastructure.
This venture would have allowed TikTok to continue operating in the US. Trump had earlier ordered TikTok to be removed from mobile app stores but enforcement of the order could be delayed if the Oracle-Walmart deal goes ahead.
