TikTok deal may help avoid US ban. What does it means for users?

TikTok may finally have a deal to keep it up and running for good on Americans' smartphones.

ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, stated on Thursday, Dec. 18, that it had signed agreements giving majority control of the video-sharing app's U.S. operations to a group of investors, including AI and cloud computing giant Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based tech firm MGX.

However, the financial terms of the new U.S. TikTok joint venture deal remain unclear, with various news accounts indicating that the investors may hold less than 50%, or as much as 80%, of the joint venture, based on reporting from The New York Times, Reuters and Los Angeles Times.

The agreement, announced Thursday, Dec. 18, resembles a preliminary deal announced in September 2025 by President Donald Trump.

A successful deal could end several years of uncertainty for the popular Chinese-owned social media app, used obsessively by as many as 170 million Americans.

USA TODAY Shopping: Shop sales in tech, home, fashion, beauty & more curated by our editors.

Here's what we know so far about the deal, and how it may affect U.S. TikTok users.

Will TikTok deal prevent a ban?

TikTok has been under threat of a ban since 2020 when then-President-elect Trump first called for one, citing national security issues.

In 2024, lawmakers and the U.S. intelligence community raised concerns about the possibility of the Chinese government using TikTok to spy on Americans and spread propaganda. Congress passed legislation in 2024, which President Joe Biden signed, requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets or face a ban.