White House considers Oracle deal for TikTok amid looming deadline: Report

• The White House is considering Oracle’s deal to run TikTok as the April 5 deadline approaches, according to Politico. It’s just the latest chapter in TikTok’s saga, as the U.S. tries to divest the popular social media app from its Chinese ownership.
• Oracle plans to meet with lawmakers this week, though the role that TikTok’s Chinese founders will play remains unclear.
• Meanwhile, amid security concerns, human smugglers are using TikTok to traffic people across the U.S. southern border.

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The April 5 deadline for TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, Bytedance, is less than a month away, and the White House is considering Oracle’s deal to run the social media platform, according to Politico. Oracle is an American multinational software technology company headquartered in Austin, Texas.

It’s unclear what role the app’s Chinese founders would have if TikTok’s ownership were to change hands.

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On President Donald Trump’s first day back in office, he signed an executive order instructing the attorney general not to take action to shut down TikTok.

Former President Joe Biden signed a bill into law requiring Bytedance to relinquish ownership of TikTok by Jan. 19 — one day before Trump’s inauguration. ByteDance needs to find a new owner if it wants to keep operating in the U.S., as Congress worries about the social media platform’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Trump’s executive order allowed the federal government an additional 75 days to come up with a plan.

Vice President JD Vance and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are in “advanced stages” of discussions to make a deal, Politico reports.

Oracle representatives are set to meet with key lawmakers about the potential deal this week, according to four people who spoke anonymously to Politico.

However, one of the anonymous sources said it would be impossible for the Chinese government not to have backdoor access to users’ data. It’s unclear if the White House can secure a deal that would satisfy the Chinese government.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that, amid Trump’s firm stance on immigration policies, human smugglers are using TikTok to continue trafficking people across the U.S. southern border.

As border numbers dwindle under Trump’s administration, smugglers are using different tactics to gain migrants’ trust. For instance, the Associated Press reports that smugglers are uploading cartoonish videos to the platform, promising to safely bring migrants to the U.S.

TikTok’s policies prohibit human trafficking and ask users to report human smuggling videos to law enforcement.