TIKTOK’s Chinese parent company ByteDance has terminated a deal to establish a joint venture with majority U.S. ownership, a move that guarantees the app’s continued availability in the United States, where over 200 million users rely on the platform.
Reuters reported on Friday that the app had faced the possibility of being banned if it failed to meet US ownership requirements.
The joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, had been a pivotal step after years of legal and political disputes dating back to August 2020, when U.S. President Donald Trump first sought to ban the app over national security concerns. Previous attempts to enforce the ban were unsuccessful.
In a statement, the newly formed entity confirmed that it will implement robust privacy and cybersecurity measures to protect US user data, as well as the app and its underlying algorithms.
The deal had originally allowed American and global investors, including tech giant Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, to hold an 80.1 percent stake in the new venture, leaving ByteDance with a 19.9 percent share.
The termination of the agreement reflects TikTok’s strategic adjustment amid ongoing scrutiny from US regulators, while continuing to reassure users and stakeholders that data security remains a top priority. - January 23, 2026
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