TikTok prepares US app with its own algorithm, user data
Over the past several months, TikTok employees have been working under tight deadlines to build a new, US-specific version of TikTok by transferring and duplicating the application's codebase — including AI models, algorithms, features, and user data — from the global platform, current employees at the company told Reuters, who requested anonymity while discussing private matters.
The move could open the door to resolving years of debate over whether the company would share what is considered the crown jewel of the ByteDance-owned short video-sharing platform- the recommendation algorithm powering the Chinese-owned platform, which has been at the center of the US-China technology standoff.
The initiative, known internally as 'M2," has a September deadline, and could represent the biggest technical break between TikTok's US operations and its international business. The change is expected to impact how 170 million US users access global content and how non-US creators make money on the platform.
The new US-only app is designed to function independently, similar to Douyin — the version of TikTok available exclusively in mainland China. Users from outside the US will not find the American version in their app store, sources said.
Technical details of the upcoming US app are reported here for the first time. The Information first reported on the planned launch of the US TikTok app.
While current content is expected to migrate into the new app, it remains unclear to what degree new content from the global TikTok apps will be integrated into the US version. The new app is expected to use only data from US users to train its recommendation algorithms, further distancing it from TikTok's global systems, sources added. As a result, most users will be recommended content generated within the US.
The push to separate TikTok's US app from its global platform has been underway for months, as ByteDance executives prepared various plans to prevent a ban of the app in the US, a move required by recently passed legislation over data security concerns.
The future of the app used by nearly half of all Americans has been up in the air since a 2024 law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, required ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19.
Washington officials have said TikTok's ownership by ByteDance makes it beholden to the Chinese government, and Beijing could use the app to conduct influence operations against the US and collect data on Americans.
After the first deadline and a brief moment of "going dark" in January, TikTok began moving non-US user data out of American data centers run by Oracle, ensuring only US user data remained on servers in the US, paving the way for separating US and international businesses, according to sources.
The company has also been working on separating the codebase for its core algorithm since last year, a move first reported by Reuters and denied by the company at the time.
Once the split is completed, the core technology and ongoing development will be managed separately from the global TikTok team, although some ByteDance employees could continue supporting TikTok US in an outsourced capacity, one of the sources added.
This has raised internal concerns about whether the algorithm for the US will remain as effective in the long run as it is today, when TikTok can leverage ByteDance's global engineering talent and product expertise.
The project comes as ByteDance faces continued political pressure in Washington to divest its US business. A deal had been in the works this spring to spin off TikTok's US operations into a new US-based firm, but it was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump's announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
8 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
Toyota reports a 37% drop in profit, cuts its forecast due to Trump's tariffs
Toyota's profit plunged 37 percent in the April-June quarter, the company said Thursday, cutting its full-year earnings forecasts largely because of President Donald Trump's tariffs. The Japanese automaker said it based its report on the assumption that Trump's tariffs on exports from Japan, including autos, would be 12.5 percent starting this month. As of now, they stand at 15 percent. The world's top automaker also makes vehicles in Mexico and Canada. Toyota's profit in the last quarter totaled 841 billion yen, or $5.7 billion, down from 1.33 trillion yen in the same period the year before. Its quarterly sales rose 3 percent. The status of those exports is unclear since Mexico and Canada are beneficiaries of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, renegotiated from a 1990s pact during Trump's first term in office, that eliminated most tariffs and trade barriers between the three countries. Toyota Motor Corp.'s April-June profit totaled 841 billion yen ($5.7 billion), down from 1.33 trillion yen in the same period of 2024. Quarterly sales rose 3 percent to 12 trillion yen ($82 billion). Toyota said the tariffs cost its quarterly operating profit 450 billion yen ($3 billion). Cost reduction efforts and the negative impact of an unfavorable exchange rate also hurt its bottom line. The company, which makes the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models, forecast a 2.66 trillion yen ($18 billion) profit for the full fiscal year ending in March 2026, down from an earlier forecast for a 3.1 trillion yen ($21 billion) profit. Toyota earned nearly 4.8 trillion yen in the previous fiscal year. 'Despite a challenging external environment, we have continued to make comprehensive investments, as well as improvements such as increased unit sales, cost reductions and expanded value chain profits,' Toyota said in a statement that outlined its efforts to minimize the impact of the tariffs. At the retail level, Toyota sold 2.4 million vehicles globally, with sales growing in Japan, North America and Europe from the previous year, when global retail totaled 2.2 million vehicles. Analysts say Toyota is likely among the worst hit by the tariffs among global companies, even compared with other Japanese automakers. Also Thursday, Toyota announced it was building a new car assembly plant in Japan that it expects to have up and running in the early 2030s. It is acquiring a site in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, where the automaker is headquartered. The models to be produced there are still undecided, but the plant will be part of the company's plan to maintain a production capacity of 3 million vehicles in Japan, according to Toyota. Billed as 'a plant of the future,' it will also feature new technology tailored for what Toyota said will be a diverse workforce. (AP - Yonhap)
Korea Herald
37 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
Russia and India talk up 'strategic partnership' after Trump tariff hike
Russia and India stressed their commitment to a "strategic partnership" in bilateral security talks in Moscow on Thursday, a day after the US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on imports from India because of its purchases of Russian oil. Interfax news agency quoted Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval as saying that New Delhi was looking forward to a visit from President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year. At Doval's meeting with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, both sides emphasised the importance of the countries' relations. Trump's imposition of an additional 25 percent tariff on goods from India, coming into force on August 28, signals the most serious downturn in US-India relations since his return to office in January, threatening to disrupt India's access to its largest export market. "We are committed to further active cooperation in order to form a new, more just and sustainable world order, ensure the supremacy of international law, and jointly combat modern challenges and threats," Shoigu told Doval in televised comments. Interfax quoted Doval as saying: "We have now established very good relations, which we value very much, a strategic partnership between our countries". India and China have become the top buyers of Russian seaborne crude oil since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, precipitating Western efforts to choke the Russian economy. Trump had threatened measures against countries buying Russian oil before he announced the new tariff on Indian goods, which raised the total duty to 50 percent. On Tuesday, the Kremlin accused the US of exerting illegal trade pressure on New Delhi, saying India has the right to trade with whomever it chooses. India's state refiners have stopped Russian oil purchases as the discounts narrowed and Trump warned countries not to buy Moscow's oil, industry sources said. Private refiners Reliance Industries and Nayara are Russia's top oil clients in India, trade data shows. An Indian official familiar with the matter said Doval would discuss India's purchases of Russian crude during his visit to Moscow. He was also expected to discuss India's defence collaboration with Russia, the official said. India signed a $5.5 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile systems, which New Delhi says it needs to counter a threat from China. But deliveries of the systems have been delayed several times. Moscow is expected to deliver units of the final two S-400 systems to India in 2026 and 2027. New Delhi has traditionally relied heavily on arms imports from Russia, although it has dramatically reduced those imports and shifted to Western buyers in recent years. (Reuters)
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Seoul shares end higher on tech, auto gains
South Korean stocks closed higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, with strong performances in tech and auto shares leading the advance. The Korean won also rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 29.54 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 3,227.68. Trade volume was moderate at 324.1 million shares worth 11.16 trillion won ($8.08 billion). Advancers outnumbered decliners 459 to 406. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.18 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.21 percent. In the local market, institutions bought a net 109.08 billion won worth of shares, while foreign investors and retail investors sold a net 17 billion won and 196.58 billion won, respectively. Analysts said institutional buying helped buoy the main index, despite ongoing concerns over US import tariffs and a potential slowdown in the US economy. US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs took effect at 1:01 p.m. Thursday (Korea time), but analysts said the impact on the main index was limited, as the tariffs had already been priced into the market. In Seoul, tech and auto stocks led the gains. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 2.47 percent to 70,500 won on news that the chipmaker will manufacture Apple Inc.'s next-generation processor at its foundry in Austin, Texas. The tech giant also got a boost from the South Korean trade minister's comments that Korean semiconductor firms will likely face lower US tariff rates than global peers and competitors, citing the latest trade deal signed last week between Seoul and Washington, in which the latter agreed to offer most favored nation (MFN) status to South Korean chipmakers when it comes to import tariffs on semiconductors. US President Donald Trump has said his administration may impose 100 percent tariffs on all chip and semiconductor imports. Chip giant SK hynix advanced 1.35 percent to 262,000 won. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.95 percent to 212,500 won following reports that the Korean automaker and General Motors will jointly develop five new models for the US and other markets in the Americas. Top shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 1.82 percent to 475,000 won, while tech firm Kakao spiked 11.97 percent to 63,600 won. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution edged up 0.65 percent to 386,500 won. Among decliners, major steelmaker POSCO Holdings slipped 0.34 percent to 297,500 won, and top refiner SK Innovation dropped 0.46 percent to 108,500 won. The local currency was quoted at 1,381.20 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., up 8.3 won from the previous session. Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 2.2 basis points to 2.408 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds declined 1.8 basis points to 2.551 percent. (Yonhap)
