TikTok Faces U.S. Blackout as Commerce Chief Demands American Control Over App
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued a stark warning on Thursday, stating that TikTok will be blocked in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, agrees to transfer control to American entities.
“You can’t have something controlled by China living on 100 million American phones,” Lutnick said during an appearance on a financial news program. His comments come amid heightened concerns over data privacy and potential content manipulation on the platform by the Chinese government.
TikTok’s fate in the U.S. has been under scrutiny since Congress passed legislation in 2024 requiring ByteDance to divest the platform’s American operations or face a nationwide ban. Despite multiple extensions, including the most recent one granted by President Donald Trump, the new deadline is now set for September 17.
Lutnick emphasized that under the proposed terms, the platform’s technology, algorithm, and data governance would be entirely under American oversight—something he said Trump supports.
“If China refuses to greenlight the deal, TikTok will go dark in the U.S.,” Lutnick warned.
While the exact status of negotiations remains unclear, Trump recently claimed he has a group of high-net-worth investors ready to acquire the U.S. segment of TikTok. However, reports indicate that major players such as Blackstone have already withdrawn from potential consortium bids.
