Trump-era Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's plan for buying TikTok generated criticism Thursday from commentators on social media, with some theorizing the app would be used to push conservative viewpoints.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that would force TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the social media platform and sell it to another company because of its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Critics have long raised concerns about ByteDance's access to user data and its ability to use the app to advance the Chinese government's political agenda.
The bill has raised concerns that the app could be banned from use in the U.S., though legislators say that is not its goal.
Mnuchin, who served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, revealed his plan to assemble an investor group to purchase the social media platform during an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box.
Mnuchin emphasized the importance of maintaining the platform's independence, saying he "wouldn't let any tech company control this, so nobody would have more than 10 percent control." He argued that a decentralized ownership model would lower the risk of excessive control by any one entity or person.
It remains unclear exactly who he may have in mind to purchase the platform, but he said he would negotiate with U.S. lawmakers and Chinese stakeholders to reach a deal.
Newsweek reached out to Mnuchin for comment via email.
His proposal, however, was attacked by some social media users, who speculated that he could use the app to promote MAGA Republicans' views.
"Republicans in Congress pushed to ban TikTok and force a sale," Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health and a former congressional candidate, posted to X (formerly Twitter).
"Now, wealthy, politically-connected Republicans want to buy TikTok. This isn't about safety, it's about forcibly controlling the content 170 million Americans consume," she wrote.
Radio host Dean Obeidallah wrote, "If Trump's Mnuchin buys Tik-Tok it will be turned into a pro-MAGA platform to help spew hate, bigotry and elect MAGA candidates."
Progressive commentator Mehdi Hasan wrote, "To be clear, if Mnuchin gets TikTok, and Musk has Twitter, that's two of the most influential messaging platforms on the planet in the hands of MAGA and their allies, in an election year, and with both purchases done on a Democratic White House and Senate's watch."
Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, tweeted: "Ask yourself why Republicans keep lining up to try and buy Tiktok. Larry Ellison at Oracle, Bobby Kotick, and now Trump treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin.
"They want to weaponize it to push conservative views like Elon and Dems are complicit in it," Caraballo wrote.
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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
