Can Oracle Save TikTok This Time?
TikTok has dodged bans before, but with an April 5 deadline looming, this time could be different.
If you’ve been caught up in endless scrolling, you might have forgotten that TikTok is still on the brink of a U.S. ban because of data security concerns. Now, Oracle, a cloud computing company, is stepping in to try to keep it running. The company is reportedly negotiating a deal to oversee American user data in exchange for a stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations.
At first glance, this might seem like a simple fix—but it’s far from that.
The U.S. government has been wary of TikTok for years, citing concerns that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could use the app to spy or spread misinformation. In response, Washington issued an ultimatum: ByteDance must sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American company or face an outright ban.
That standoff has led to a long legal battle, with restrictions piling up along the way. Earlier this year, tensions peaked when TikTok was briefly removed from U.S. app stores under a new law. But when President Trump returned to office in January 2025, he delayed the ban, giving TikTok more time to find a solution. Now, with the April 5 deadline looming, the pressure is back on.
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Oracle has been involved in this saga since 2020. In 2022, it launched 'Project Texas,' a plan to store American user data on U.S. soil. But reports later suggested that ByteDance employees in China still had access, making it look more like a PR move than a real security solution.
Now, with time running out, Oracle is back with what some are calling 'Project Texas 2.0,' a renewed attempt to convince lawmakers that TikTok’s U.S. data is fully secure.
But the real problem isn’t just where the data is stored—it’s who controls TikTok’s algorithm.
That algorithm is what makes TikTok so addictive, deciding which videos users see and keeping engagement high. The U.S. government wants oversight to prevent potential misuse, but ByteDance has made one thing clear: it will not sell its recommendation system. Without access to the algorithm, lawmakers remain sceptical that any deal—short of a full sale—will resolve the security concerns.
That’s the standoff we’re seeing today. Oracle says it can guarantee TikTok’s security, TikTok refuses to hand over its algorithm, and the U.S. government isn’t backing down.
If Oracle can’t come up with a plan that satisfies Washington, TikTok could face a permanent U.S. ban—this time, for real. The clock is ticking, and millions of users are waiting to see what happens next.
David Adubiina
