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TikTok Develops Standalone U.S. App to Comply With September Divestiture Deadline

Created under the divestiture law, the M2 project isolates U.S. user data into a separate algorithm ahead of the September 17 deadline, with Chinese approval still pending.

TikTok is seen in the app store of an iPhone on January 8, 2025.
U.S. flag and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A man stands near a giant sign of Chinese company ByteDance's app TikTok, known locally as Douyin, during China Fashion Week, in Beijing, China March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

Overview

  • TikTok employees have been duplicating the global codebase—including AI models, recommendation algorithms and U.S. user data—to build the M2 U.S.-specific app
  • The new app must launch by the September 17 divestiture deadline mandated by the 2024 sale-or-ban law following three presidential deadline extensions
  • Any post-sale U.S. TikTok will be barred from sharing its algorithm or user data with ByteDance to satisfy legal requirements for operational independence
  • Switching to a separate algorithm and data silo could alter how 170 million American users see content and interact with creators abroad
  • Approval from Chinese authorities remains uncertain because export controls restrict the transfer of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm