US, China near TikTok deal to finally resolve the question of app’s ‘secret sauce’ algorithm: sources

The US and China are closing in on a deal to avoid a US ban of TikTok – and it will include China allowing US techies to replicate and replace the wildly popular app’s secret-sauce recommendation algorithm, On The Money has learned.

Top White House officials confirmed on Monday they’ve settled on a “framework” for an agreement to finally resolve the yearslong dispute over whether TikTok can and should be allowed to operate in the US – with critics raising concerns about everything from national security to teens’ mental health.

Just days before TikTok is set to be banned, a deal is now taking shape that would sell a controlling stake in the controversial app to US investors, which the White House believes satisfies a congressional law last year that bans the controversial app unless it separates itself from Beijing.