How ManaTEE balances privacy, accuracy, and usability for a billion users

Who's really in control when algorithms shape a billion minds daily? The TikTok framework deal got me thinking about alignment at every level of the stack. Sure, the immediate story is about ownership structures and national security concerns. ByteDance keeps a minority stake, US investors take operational control, everyone avoids the ban scenario. But what struck me is how this situation exposes the alignment problem I keep talking about. When tech moves this fast and policy shifts happen overnight, the people and institutions that aren't clear about their values get those values defined for them by external forces.

Failed story shared at DigiTec today. We had been working on wrist tracking for about a year — a few years ago. We thought we had developed a good enough technology and even released a version. Then we got contacted by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, and they showed us their own wrist tracking tech and SDK… which was way better than ours. We full stopped the development of that tech. It was a tough but valuable lesson: always understand the landscape you’re entering and focus where your strengths truly make a difference.

👉 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐤𝐓𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧 2025? 👀 The answer is no longer simple. Depending on your location, it could be a U.S.-controlled company, a Chinese-owned app, or completely banned from your phone. After years of geopolitical pressure over national security, the era of a single, unified TikTok is over. We're now seeing a fractured global landscape where the app operates under entirely different rules from one country to the next. This isn't just trivia—it's a live playbook for the future of global tech regulation. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨-𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝: 🇺🇸 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: A new entity, TikTok U.S., is now in charge of American operations. 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: Majority ownership (~80%) was transferred to American and allied investors like Oracle and Silver Lake. 𝐁𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: Its Chinese parent company was forced to reduce its stake to a minority (<20%).1 🇪🇺 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥. 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲) 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: Ownership remains 100% with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The U.S. deal does not apply. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚: European user data is being localised through "Project Clover," with new data centers in Europe to comply with privacy regulations. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: The corporate structure is unchanged, for now. 🇮🇳 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: The app remains permanently banned, a policy in place since 2020 due to national security concerns. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: The void has been filled by domestic competitors and the growth of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: ByteDance has effectively ceased operations in the country. 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚: Meanwhile, other nations like Canada, the UK, and Australia are taking a cautious middle-ground approach, banning the app on government devices while they continue to monitor the situation. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. Is this the end of truly global tech platforms? 👇 #TikTok #TechPolicy #ByteDance #Geopolitics #GlobalTech #TechRegulation #OnlineMarketing

Five years of threats. Complete algorithm transfer demanded. ByteDance just secured a deal that keeps most of the value. Washington and Beijing both said this was impossible. Here's what actually happened: ByteDance structured a split that nobody saw coming. TikTok becomes two units: - One fully owned by ByteDance (e-commerce and ads) - One joint venture (Oracle and Silver Lake get 80%, ByteDance keeps 20%) The result? ByteDance still gets 50% of TikTok's US profits. That's roughly $12 billion from a $25 billion revenue business. This wasn't luck. It was strategic patience. While competitors panicked about regulatory pressure, ByteDance played the long game. They invested in AI capabilities. Built alternative revenue streams. Strengthened their core business in China. Their valuation hit $330 billion. First-quarter sales beat Meta. The lesson here applies beyond tech giants. When facing impossible demands, look for creative structures. Split the problem. Find what each side actually needs versus what they say they want. ByteDance kept their algorithm. Oracle gets data security control. US lawmakers get compliance. Users keep their app. Everyone wins something. Nobody gets everything. That's how you turn regulatory threats into strategic advantages. What seemingly impossible challenge could you restructure instead of surrender? #TikTok #ByteDance #StrategicThinking𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞: https://lnkd.in/eWgV76sV

🇺🇸 The New US TikTok Deal: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱? - A landmark US-China deal keeps TikTok operating in the US. - US investors, led by Oracle and other major funds, will now own about 𝟴𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸’𝘀 𝗨𝗦 entity. - ByteDance (China) retains 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟬%, complying with US requirements. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗦 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀? - App updates and migration to a new US-governed TikTok version. - Data storage and privacy managed by servers in the US. - Day-to-day content experience mostly unchanged, algorithm remains, but now licensed from ByteDance. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗰𝗲”: 𝗔𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺 - The recommendation engine (algorithm) stays central to TikTok, but it’s now licensed, not owned, by the US company. - US-based engineers will work towards greater independence and localized improvements. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 & 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆? - All American data will be stored and managed in the US. - Oracle oversees security and compliance, addressing major national security concerns. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? - Sets a precedent for global social media regulation and data protection. - Gives more governance power to American leadership and investors. - Ensures continuity for over 170 million US TikTok users. A major question remains: Will this model become the new normal for global platforms? #TikTok #USChina #TechPolicy #DataPrivacy #SocialMedia #Startups #DigitalTrends #Oracle #USGovernment #Tech #AI #ML #Trump #Xi #Reels #Instagram #Trending #ElonMusk #China

TikTok is staying in the U.S., but under a new structure with predominantly American ownership. The $14B deal, involving Oracle, Fox, Dell, and Silver Lake, ensures U.S. control over data and algorithms, addressing national security concerns while preserving creator livelihoods. A pivotal moment in the U.S.–China tech rivalry and the future of digital platforms. #TikTok #USChinaRelations #TechPolicy #DataSecurity #DigitalSovereignty #AI #Innovation #SocialMediaStrategy

TikTok's September deal just changed how we think about tech ownership. ByteDance might keep the code, but lose control. The technical implications are wild. As a software engineer, I'm fascinated by how this restructuring could reshape our understanding of platform architecture and data sovereignty. Here's what we know so far: 🔹 ByteDance is exploring partial divestment while maintaining core tech 🔹 Western markets pushing for unprecedented operational separation 🔹 New governance model could create fresh standards for global tech platforms But the real technical questions keep me up at night: •How do you separate platform operations while maintaining code integrity? •What happens to the recommendation algorithm? •Can you truly partition user data across different governance structures? This could be the biggest tech restructuring we've seen. Think about it: a platform with billions of users potentially splitting operations while keeping its technical backbone intact. The implications for us developers are huge. We might be looking at new patterns for: •Data sovereignty architecture •Multi-region platform governance •Distributed ownership models Anyone else trying to wrap their head around the technical complexities of this deal? Would love to hear your thoughts on how you'd approach this kind of platform split. #TechArchitecture #SoftwareEngineering #TechPolicy 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞:https://lnkd.in/e6J4U7bD

📱 The Cost of Endless Scroll A recent Washington Post piece said the quiet part out loud: TikTok’s algorithm isn’t built to serve you, but instead built to study you. Every swipe trains it to hold your attention longer, even when you want to stop. That’s not engagement. That’s engineered dependency. It rewires focus, weakens discipline, and erodes trust in ourselves. The answer isn’t “less tech.” It’s better architecture, it’s systems with governance at runtime. Technology that can sense drift as it happens, nudge users back to intent, and keep people, not algorithms, firmly in control. If we can build systems smart enough to exploit behavior, we can build systems strong enough to protect it. That’s what we’re building, governance that runs in real time, to protect what makes us human. Don’t we owe that to our kids, and to the next generation? #RuntimeGovernance #HumanCenteredAI #TrustByDesign #AIEthics

TikTok’s future in the United States is being reshaped. The app’s powerful recommendation system will be copied and retrained using only US user data under a new joint venture backed by American investors. The deal comes after President Trump announced an agreement to prevent a nationwide ban unless TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance sold the app. Oracle will take a central role by auditing TikTok’s algorithm, securing data, and operating US servers already in place under Project Texas. The White House says this move protects the 170 million American TikTok users and ensures stronger national security. But analysts warn that altering the algorithm or limiting global content could change the user experience and affect creators and brands. The executive order finalizing the deal is expected later this week with a 120 day deadline extension for closing. Follow MediaBlizz for more updates. #TikTok #TechNews #SocialMedia #ByteDance #Oracle #Trump #TikTokDeal #DigitalSecurity #AI #FutureOfTech #USPolicy