The U.S. and Chinese governments have approved a deal that transfers control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a new American-owned entity, with Larry Ellison’s Oracle, Silver Lake Partners, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX each holding a 15% stake in the new venture. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, retains a 19.9% share, while the remaining 80.1% is owned by the consortium.
The deal, finalized on Thursday, ended a yearslong legal battle after Congress passed a law in 2024 mandating that TikTok be divested from Chinese ownership to avoid a nationwide ban.
Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and the largest private donor to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), has funneled over $26 million to FIDF since 2014, including a record $16.6 million gift in 2017. He has also offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a board seat at Oracle and vacationed with his family on Ellison’s Hawaiian island.
Netanyahu has publicly called TikTok “the most important purchase going on right now,” stating that social media is “the most important weapon” in shaping U.S. public opinion and securing Israel’s political base.
The sale has sparked widespread criticism over censorship and content suppression, particularly regarding coverage of Gaza and the West Bank. Since October 2023, TikTok has faced pressure from U.S. lawmakers and pro-Israel groups over pro-Palestinian content.
Erica Mindle, a former IDF instructor and self-described Zionist, was appointed as TikTok’s hate speech policy manager, and the platform has reportedly removed videos documenting Israeli military actions, deleted hashtags like #FreePalestine, and suppressed content from Arabic news outlets.
Internal Meta data shows a similar pattern of overenforcement against pro-Palestinian speech on Facebook and Instagram, with over 90,000 posts removed in response to Israeli government takedown requests.
The new ownership structure raises concerns about algorithmic control and narrative manipulation. Oracle will serve as the platform’s “security provider,” overseeing data and algorithmic operations in the U.S.
Critics argue the deal is less about national security and more about political control, with pro-Israel billionaires now shaping what American users see online. The U.S. government, under President Trump, approved the deal as a “national security win,” despite earlier offers from TikTok to store U.S. data on Oracle servers and allow third-party audits.
The acquisition reveals a coordinated effort to influence global narratives: Tony Blair, backed by Ellison’s funding, is being positioned to lead a proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority; Clearview AI, a surveillance firm linked to Owen West (a top Pentagon official), has expanded its use in Ukraine and U.S. law enforcement; and Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Yass, and other pro-Israel figures are believed to have influence in the new TikTok ownership structure.
This convergence of tech, media, and political power suggests a strategic shift to control digital discourse in favor of Israeli interests.
