Summary
The People’s Bid is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Americans to reclaim a voice, choice, and stake in the future of the internet. In April 2024, Congress passed legislation forcing a ban or sale of TikTok in the U.S.
Project Liberty is building a broad consortium of technologists, investors, community leaders, and creators to purchase TikTok and migrate the platform to new infrastructure that allows people to control their own data. We believe a reimagined TikTok can preserve the creativity and dynamism that have made it the cultural engine of the internet while fixing the issues that led Congress to act. Today’s TikTok is a problem. Together, we can make it a solution to the issues created by Big Tech.
Source: Website
News
Latest
Supreme Court hears arguments on whether TikTok can be banned in free speech case
PBS NewsHour, January 10, 2025 – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (ET)
Businessman Frank McCourt says company working to be in position to buy TikTok amid ban threat
Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan – December 8, 2024 (07:14)
Business executive Frank McCourt, executive chairman of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty, tells “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that his company is working very hard to position itself as a possible buyer for the U.S. portion of TikTok. A panel of federal judges in Washington, D.C. last week upheld a new law that could effectively ban the popular social media app the social media platform by mid-January if its Chinese owners do not sell it to a new buyer.
News Wrap: TikTok faces legal challenge over impact on mental health of children
PBS NewsHour – October 8, 2024 (05:23)
In our news wrap Tuesday, TikTok is facing a legal challenge over its algorithm and impact on the mental health of children, President Biden is pushing the nation’s water utilities to replace lead pipes within ten years, the UK’s spy chief issued a warning about assassination attempts by Russia and Iran and the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to two pioneers of artificial intelligence.
‘Shark Tank’ Star Kevin O’Leary Says He’s Near Deal to Buy TikTok: ‘We’re Doing This’
The Wrap , Sean Burch – January 6, 2025
The entrepreneur says he’ll need President-elect Donald Trump’s help to close a deal for the social media platform’s U.S. operation
Earlier in the day, O’Leary posted on X that he was partnering with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on his bid for TikTok.
The TikTok ban was initially floated during Trump’s first administration, before ultimately being passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last April. The chief concern U.S. lawmakers have with TikTok is that it doubles as a spyware app for the Chinese government; TikTok, according to Chinese law, is required to share user data with China’s communist government, if it is asked to do so.
TikTok should lose its big Supreme Court case
Vox, Ian Millhiser – January 6, 2025
The Supreme Court case asking if the government can ban TikTok is easier than it looks
As it turns out, the First Amendment arguments for allowing the government to ban foreign adversaries from owning TikTok are stronger than they may initially seem. As Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, one of three appeals court judges who upheld the federal law, explained in a concurring opinion, the federal government has a long history of trying to lock foreign nations out of US communications.
Indeed, current US law prohibits “any foreign government or the representative thereof” from receiving a radio station license, and it broadly bars noncitizens and companies with significant foreign ownership from controlling radio broadcasts.
Investor explains why he thinks TikTok will be safer with U.S. ownership
PBS NewsHour – December 18, 2024 (06:00)
Congressional lawmakers told Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores on Jan. 19. The app is used by 170 million Americans and lawmakers argue the Chinese government’s relationship with TikTok’s parent company threatens data privacy and national security. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Frank McCourt, one of the investors trying to buy the U.S. part of TikTok.
Investor explains why he thinks TikTok will be safer with U.S. ownership
PBS NewsHour – December 18, 2024 (06:00)
Congressional lawmakers told Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores on Jan. 19. The app is used by 170 million Americans and lawmakers argue the Chinese government’s relationship with TikTok’s parent company threatens data privacy and national security. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Frank McCourt, one of the investors trying to buy the U.S. part of TikTok.
TikTok Brainwashed America’s Youth
Jay Solomon – January 5, 2025
China’s ‘indoctrination isn’t hypothetical. It’s real.’
Now, an updated study conducted by Rutgers University’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI)—provided exclusively to The Free Press—finds that those fears may be justified.
The new research is being released as the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments this week about whether the U.S. site must be sold or shut down. TikTok, owned by the Chinese media giant ByteDance, is arguing that federal legislation forcing a sale by January 19 is an unconstitutional limit on free speech. (A lawyer for Donald Trump has asked the Court to delay the sale date so the president-elect can pursue “a political resolution.”)
How Americans Navigate Politics on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram
Pew Research Center, Colleen McClain et al – June 12, 2024
The experiences and views of each site’s users – from how much political content they see to the platforms’ impact on democracy
X stands out as a place people turn to for politics. A majority of X users (59%) say keeping up with politics or political issues is a reason they use it, compared with 36% of TikTok users and even smaller shares of Facebook or Instagram users (26% each).
Partisans hold opposing views of X. Republican X users are far more likely than Democratic users to see it as mostly good for democracy (53% vs. 26%). In contrast, Democratic users are three times as likely as their GOP counterparts to see it as mostly bad (39% vs. 13%).
There’s a range of reasons people are drawn to social media platforms – even on X, where using it to keep up with politics is relatively common. On TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, politics takes a backseat to other reasons we explored.
Livestreams
Supreme Court hears arguments on whether TikTok can be banned in free speech case
PBS NewsHour, January 10, 2025 – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (ET)
Videos
Businessman Frank McCourt says company working to be in position to buy TikTok amid ban threat
Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan – December 8, 2024 (07:14)
Business executive Frank McCourt, executive chairman of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty, tells “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that his company is working very hard to position itself as a possible buyer for the U.S. portion of TikTok. A panel of federal judges in Washington, D.C. last week upheld a new law that could effectively ban the popular social media app the social media platform by mid-January if its Chinese owners do not sell it to a new buyer.
News Wrap: TikTok faces legal challenge over impact on mental health of children
PBS NewsHour – October 8, 2024 (05:23)
In our news wrap Tuesday, TikTok is facing a legal challenge over its algorithm and impact on the mental health of children, President Biden is pushing the nation’s water utilities to replace lead pipes within ten years, the UK’s spy chief issued a warning about assassination attempts by Russia and Iran and the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to two pioneers of artificial intelligence.
Investor explains why he thinks TikTok will be safer with U.S. ownership
PBS NewsHour – December 18, 2024 (06:00)
Congressional lawmakers told Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores on Jan. 19. The app is used by 170 million Americans and lawmakers argue the Chinese government’s relationship with TikTok’s parent company threatens data privacy and national security. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Frank McCourt, one of the investors trying to buy the U.S. part of TikTok.
Investor explains why he thinks TikTok will be safer with U.S. ownership
PBS NewsHour – December 18, 2024 (06:00)
Congressional lawmakers told Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores on Jan. 19. The app is used by 170 million Americans and lawmakers argue the Chinese government’s relationship with TikTok’s parent company threatens data privacy and national security. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Frank McCourt, one of the investors trying to buy the U.S. part of TikTok.
Articles
‘Shark Tank’ Star Kevin O’Leary Says He’s Near Deal to Buy TikTok: ‘We’re Doing This’
The Wrap , Sean Burch – January 6, 2025
The entrepreneur says he’ll need President-elect Donald Trump’s help to close a deal for the social media platform’s U.S. operation
Earlier in the day, O’Leary posted on X that he was partnering with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on his bid for TikTok.
The TikTok ban was initially floated during Trump’s first administration, before ultimately being passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last April. The chief concern U.S. lawmakers have with TikTok is that it doubles as a spyware app for the Chinese government; TikTok, according to Chinese law, is required to share user data with China’s communist government, if it is asked to do so.
TikTok should lose its big Supreme Court case
Vox, Ian Millhiser – January 6, 2025
The Supreme Court case asking if the government can ban TikTok is easier than it looks
As it turns out, the First Amendment arguments for allowing the government to ban foreign adversaries from owning TikTok are stronger than they may initially seem. As Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, one of three appeals court judges who upheld the federal law, explained in a concurring opinion, the federal government has a long history of trying to lock foreign nations out of US communications.
Indeed, current US law prohibits “any foreign government or the representative thereof” from receiving a radio station license, and it broadly bars noncitizens and companies with significant foreign ownership from controlling radio broadcasts.
TikTok Brainwashed America’s Youth
Jay Solomon – January 5, 2025
China’s ‘indoctrination isn’t hypothetical. It’s real.’
Now, an updated study conducted by Rutgers University’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI)—provided exclusively to The Free Press—finds that those fears may be justified.
The new research is being released as the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments this week about whether the U.S. site must be sold or shut down. TikTok, owned by the Chinese media giant ByteDance, is arguing that federal legislation forcing a sale by January 19 is an unconstitutional limit on free speech. (A lawyer for Donald Trump has asked the Court to delay the sale date so the president-elect can pursue “a political resolution.”)
How Americans Navigate Politics on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram
Pew Research Center, Colleen McClain et al – June 12, 2024
The experiences and views of each site’s users – from how much political content they see to the platforms’ impact on democracy
X stands out as a place people turn to for politics. A majority of X users (59%) say keeping up with politics or political issues is a reason they use it, compared with 36% of TikTok users and even smaller shares of Facebook or Instagram users (26% each).
Partisans hold opposing views of X. Republican X users are far more likely than Democratic users to see it as mostly good for democracy (53% vs. 26%). In contrast, Democratic users are three times as likely as their GOP counterparts to see it as mostly bad (39% vs. 13%).
There’s a range of reasons people are drawn to social media platforms – even on X, where using it to keep up with politics is relatively common. On TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, politics takes a backseat to other reasons we explored.
About
Source: Website
In April 2024, President Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok in the United States unless it is sold within a year. Project Liberty, an initiative dedicated to building a better internet, is organizing a broad consortium of technologists, investors, community leaders, and creators to purchase the platform. The People’s Bid for TikTok is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Americans to reclaim their digital identities and have a voice, choice, and stake in the future of the internet.
The People’s Bid offers an innovative alternative to the challenges of today’s social media. We plan to migrate TikTok to new digital infrastructure that prioritizes privacy and gives users control over their data – along with more opportunities to share in the economic value they create online. The core TikTok user experience would remain the same, but people – not corporations, governments, or algorithms – would have the agency to shape their digital experience.
The People’s Bid has received broad support from leading technologists, investors, and policymakers. Many of the best minds in these fields are contributing to our vision for a safer, healthier TikTok.
A reimagined TikTok can serve as the blueprint for tomorrow’s internet. Join The People’s Bid by adding your name to the pledge today.
Web Links
FAQs
What do you say to the 170 million users who like TikTok the way it is?
The People’s Bid intends to preserve the vibrant community that has made the app so popular by ensuring there will not be dramatic changes to the user experience. The goal is to enhance the platform so users can control their data and determine how their information is used, which should result in a safer, more relevant, and more engaging TikTok.
How is The People’s Bid different from other bidders who have come forward to purchase TikTok?
The People’s Bid has no interest in acquiring TikTok’s algorithm. This is not an attempt to rinse and repeat the formula that has allowed Big Tech companies to reap enormous profits by scraping and exploiting user data. The People’s Bid will ensure that TikTok users control their data and experience by using the app on a rebuilt digital infrastructure that gives more power to users.
What is Project Liberty?
Project Liberty builds solutions that help people take back control of their digital lives. This means working to ensure that everyone has a voice, choice, and stake in the future of the Internet. Project Liberty has invested over half a billion dollars to develop infrastructure and alliances that will return power to the people.
Why is Project Liberty the right buyer for TikTok?
Project Liberty is founded on the belief that protecting our digital rights is the defining issue of our time, but we are not going to do this alone. We are collaborating with some of the best minds in technology, finance, academia, and policy. Project Liberty has built new digital infrastructure that prioritizes privacy by allowing users to own their data. A reimagined TikTok can serve as a blueprint for the future of the internet.
What are the chances that the People’s Bid will be successful?
The People’s Bid is a leading contender for TikTok. Technologists, lawmakers, investors, academics, parents, and active TikTok users all understand the negative impacts social media has created for our children, our communities, and our democracy. They are joining the effort to reimagine and rebuild a better TikTok. We hope you will join us, too.