Witness tells Michigan committee TikTok deal may not remove ByteDance control of algorithm or data
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Summary
Michael Sobolik told the committee that the proposed federal TikTok agreement may not meet statutory requirements because algorithm licensing and a ByteDance-affiliated board member could leave substantive control outside U.S. jurisdiction.
During questioning, Michael Sobolik said he was "concerned" the administration'brokered TikTok agreement might not comply with the federal statute that Congress passed and the Supreme Court upheld. He said the deal'as described on background by administration officials'appears to license the algorithm from ByteDance to a new joint venture and could leave ByteDance with continuing influence.
"I have not been convinced to this date that this deal actually places control of the algorithm in the hands of Americans," Sobolik testified, adding that a ByteDance-affiliated board member in the joint venture "could be a problem from a data perspective, from an algorithmic perspective." He also said Oracle'reported to be housing or securing U.S. user data under the deal'may not guarantee isolation if ByteDance personnel retain access.
Sobolik framed two legal concerns: process and substance. On process, he said the administration did not enforce the statute immediately when it took effect and negotiated exceptions to allow TikTok back onto app stores. On substance, he argued that licensing and undisclosed board arrangements could fall short of the law'which, as described in the hearing, bars cooperation on algorithm operation with a foreign adversary.
No company or administration representative appeared before the committee to respond to the witness'only the witness's legal and policy concerns were recorded.
The committee did not vote on any specific TikTok-related measure during this hearing.