TikTok Attempts to Sell Project Texas Amid Growing US Mistrust in its Chinese Ownership

TikTok has been facing a growing US mistrust of its Chinese ownership for the past few years now, but this time it is stepping up its efforts to survive in the country amid measures to ban the app, according to a report by CNBC.

Senior executives from the platform have been convincing lawmakers, academics, and others about a $1.5 billion initiative they call Project Texas, explaining how TikTok can allay the worries of those who view it as a security threat against the US. This information was provided by people who claimed that they received briefings on this project.

TikTok Briefing

Two people on the security site Lawfare published a summary of the project on Thursday, who claimed that they had a firsthand account of the TikTok briefing last week.

A lot of the political discussion surrounding TikTok has been merely based on conjecture, according to Matt Perault, one of the blog post's co-authors and the director of the Center on Technology Policy at the University of North Carolina.

He said the briefing was a chance to listen to what the social media platform has to offer.

Perault told CNBC that TikTok had provided funds to his institute, but he declined to comment on the validity of the company's guarantees. He claimed that he viewed his participation in the briefing as an opportunity to learn information he could share with the public.

Since President Donald Trump's unsuccessful attempt to outlaw the app in 2020 and subsequent legal defeat, TikTok has continued to face threats to its survivability in the US.

US Mistrust on TikTok

Several governors have restricted TikTok on government devices, including those at public colleges. Last month, Congress voted to forbid the use of TikTok on federal government property, and last week, Sen. Josh Hawley reintroduced the idea of a complete nationwide ban.

The Biden administration also passed a regulation at the end of December 2022 that barred TikTok from being used on government devices. Several educational institutions have recently limited access to TikTok on campus using laptops, mobile devices, and Wi-Fi.

The restrictions have been justified by governors citing cybersecurity issues and worries about Chinese spying.

The House and Senate simultaneously presented a resolution to abolish TikTok on a federal level on Dec. 13. Additionally, laws prohibiting the platform on computers owned by the government have been proposed in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont.