TikTok separates source code, develops its own algorithm for the US market?

The Reuters article said TikTok is building a separate version of the algorithm, independent of Douyin (the Chinese version) operated by parent company ByteDance. This project could take more than a year to complete and aims to demonstrate to US lawmakers that TikTok’s US operations are independent of its parent company in Beijing.

According to the source, executives discussed the project in all-hands meetings and on Lark, the company’s internal messaging system. Separating the source code could cause TikTok to lose “huge technical development resources” from the parent company.

However, TikTok denied this information, saying Reuters’ article was “misleading and inaccurate”. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed that improving the platform’s security is not related to the sale of its US operations. They also completely deny decoupling the source code.

The Reuters story published today is misleading and factually inaccurate. As we said in our court filing, the 'qualified divestiture' demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not…

— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) May 30, 2024

Previously, TikTok tried to convince US lawmakers of its independence through “Project Texas” – a data storage initiative to ensure the safety of American users. However, these efforts do not seem to be enough to allay security concerns.

Currently, TikTok is suing the US government over a law that forces ByteDance to resell TikTok in the US before January 19, 2025, or else it will be banned from operating. Although sources said there are no plans to separate the two companies, the source code separation could lay the groundwork for a future sale of TikTok’s US assets.