TikTok denies that they are making a “US-only” algorithm to avoid ban

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.”

Reuters reported on Friday that TikTok is 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.”

In a statement to The 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 is in a sticky situation after the Biden administration passed a bill that forces TikTok’s owner to sell its US operations within nine months from April 24, 2024, or face a ban in the country. The US government believes that the TikTok algorithm presents a national security risk

TikTok has already challenged the bill in court, calling it “unconstitutional.” The short video platform has also repeatedly denied reports of 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.