Another Take: Inside the TikTok deal – the politics of the algorithm
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 747 Ratings
🗓️ 31 January 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on September 25, 2025. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.
TikTok’s feed is famous for knowing users better than they know themselves. Now, a US deal could put that power in the hands of Trump allies and tech giants. What might change for the 170 million Americans on the app – and what does this fight reveal about control of speech and data?
In this episode:
- Robert Rogowsky, Professor of Trade and Economic Diplomacy, Middlebury Institute for International Studies
Episode credits:
This episode was updated by Chloe K. Li and Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Tamara Khandaker, Sari el-Khalili, and Chloe K Li, with Manny Panaretos, Melanie Marich, Marcos Bartolome, Kisaa Zehra, Farhan Rafid, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Hi, I'm Sari al-Khalili, and this is another take, where we revisit episodes from the archives. |
| 0:19.0 | Last week, TikTok was formally taken over by a US-backed subsidiary in order to avoid |
| 0:24.5 | being banned in the country. |
| 0:27.1 | Oracle will manage TikTok's data security, algorithm, and cloud computing. |
| 0:32.9 | Oracle is owned by Trump supporter Larry Ellison, who had previously accused the platform of being pro-Palestinian. |
| 0:40.9 | They spent their first week putting out fires, claims of political censorship, a controversial new privacy policy, and a surge of app uninstalls. |
| 0:51.5 | And all of that is compounded with a new competitor, upscrolled, rising |
| 0:57.3 | in popularity. Started by Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian-Isaam Hjazi, many are turning to |
| 1:04.6 | it as an alternative to TikTok. Today, we revisit a story from when talks around TikTok's U.S. |
| 1:11.8 | takeover first started. |
| 1:14.3 | This episode originally aired September 25, 2025. |
| 1:18.9 | All dates and references are from that time. |
| 1:31.9 | Today, what a U.S. controlled TikTok could look like. |
| 1:35.9 | U.S. and Chinese officials say they're now on the cusp of a deal. |
| 1:39.7 | The agreement involves the app being transferred from its Chinese parent company, |
| 1:42.2 | ByteDance, to U.S. controlled ownership. |
| 1:46.2 | With the algorithm shifting into American hands, |
| 1:50.0 | what changes and what doesn't for millions of users? |
| 1:55.2 | I'm Kevin Horton, and this is the take. Before we continue with today's show, if you're watching us on YouTube or Spotify, please leave us a comment. |
| 2:08.7 | Tell us what you think about this episode and what stories you'd like us to do next. |
| 2:13.3 | Leave us a review, telling us where you're listening from, and you might as well give us a five-star rating on your favorite podcast app. |
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