The internet is broken. That’s the blunt diagnosis from billionaire entrepreneur Frank McCourt, who’s placing a multibillion-dollar bet to fix it. But unlike Silicon Valley giants that have defined our digital age, McCourt isn’t planning another centralized tech empire built on targeted advertising. Instead, he’s looking at TikTok’s U.S. operations — the American branch of the popular social media app caught at the center of escalating tensions between the U.S. and China — as a surprising launchpad to reshape the core of our online lives.
After multiple attempts to ban or regulate the app due to national security concerns, Congress passed the “Divest or Ban” law late last year. The law mandates ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its U.S. operations — used by 170 million Americans — or face a complete shutdown.
Initially given until Jan. 19 2025 to comply, President Trump issued an executive order granting a 75-day extension, moving the deadline to April 5. And it’s amid this turbulent environment, that McCourt sees an unprecedented opportunity.
Life After The TikTok Algorithm
One significant aspect of McCourt’s bid is that ByteDance’s proprietary recommendation algorithm — a key technology behind TikTok’s explosive growth — won’t be included in any sale. ByteDance has explicitly stated that this algorithm represents protected intellectual property, and its transfer is restricted by Chinese government regulations. While other potential buyers might view this as a major drawback however, McCourt frames it as a crucial opportunity for change.
“Removing ByteDance’s algorithm isn’t a limitation — it’s freedom,” McCourt states. “Imagine a TikTok where you choose exactly how you experience content, instead of an algorithm secretly deciding for you.”
There’s no arguing that this vision is a refreshing take on social media algorithms. Some skeptics may, however, argue that TikTok’s current recommendation algorithm is famously effective, and many users likely appreciate how accurately it predicts their preferences. A shift toward user-chosen algorithms, even if equally smooth, could initially be met with caution by users who aren’t traditional fans of change.
Despite the inevitably of these sorts of concerns, McCourt still envisions a new TikTok where users can freely select their method of content discovery. Possible options might include a chronological feed reminiscent of Instagram’s early days, community-driven curation, or even personalized feeds explicitly tailored by the user. Inspired by decentralized platforms like Bluesky, McCourt argues that transparency and user choice will redefine online engagement and rebuild trust, shifting power from secretive algorithms back to individuals.
Elsewhere, he also emphasizes transparency in content moderation: “Transparency changes incentives completely,” McCourt explains. “Platforms would no longer secretly prioritize divisive or sensational content because users would see exactly why certain posts appear.”
The user experience under McCourt’s TikTok would also differ fundamentally from today’s version. Users would have explicit control over their feed algorithms, content moderation would be clearly explained, and creators would directly own their audiences. “Creators shouldn’t be held hostage by platforms,” McCourt argues.
Under the current system, if a platform closes down or restricts content, creators risk losing their entire following. McCourt proposes a more equitable arrangement, allowing creators to carry their followers seamlessly from platform to platform instead.
Rethinking The TikTok Economy
McCourt’s ambitions, while focused on empowering users, may raise significant questions about economic viability from onlookers. A significant part of the modern internet is, after all, powered by surveillance capitalism, with platforms tracking user behavior for hyper-targeted advertising. McCourt, however, proposes shifting to what he calls an “intention-based” economic model, where users explicitly share interests in exchange for benefits, including financial compensation.
Crucially, Frequency — a blockchain-powered infrastructure platform closely tied to McCourt’s broader initiative — will serve as the backbone for this model. Frequency provides the decentralized tools needed to give users genuine control over their social graph, their data, and their monetization choices. By integrating Frequency technology, McCourt aims to enable users to securely manage their digital identities and data ownership across platforms. “With Frequency, we can actually deliver this vision of portability and sovereignty at scale,” McCourt explains. “It gives users the keys to their own digital future.”
McCourt openly addresses the radical changes signalled by this new approach: “I’m a capitalist,” he admits. “But capitalism doesn’t have to be predatory or exploitative. People should knowingly participate and benefit from their own data. We need to realign incentives to respect user autonomy.”
While critics may question whether users accustomed to frictionless, algorithm-driven experiences will embrace such explicit transparency, McCourt is confident that younger audiences will actively prefer honesty over covert tracking.
“People have had enough of surveillance and manipulation,” McCourt emphasizes. “There’s a growing awareness, especially among younger generations, that the current model just isn’t fair or sustainable.” He argues the public is more aware than ever of the costs associated with opaque data mining, and is increasingly receptive to fairer alternatives.
Project Liberty: Empowering Individuals Online
The philosophical foundation underpinning these dramatic changes is Project Liberty — McCourt’s initiative launched in 2021 to challenge Big Tech’s monopolistic control of digital identities. At its heart is the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) — an open-source blockchain-based standard designed to restore ownership and control of personal data back to users.
In essence, DSNP transforms social networking data into portable digital assets, letting users seamlessly migrate their identities, content, and followers across platforms. If a DSNP-powered TikTok ever shuts down, for example, its 170 million users could instantly transfer their social networks elsewhere without disruption. This fundamentally disrupts the monopoly-driven model of Big Tech giants like Meta and X, whose business models depend heavily on locking user data within proprietary ecosystems.
Naturally, implementing a decentralized protocol like DSNP at TikTok’s scale — potentially involving tens of millions of American users — could present logistical and technical complexities. While exact migration plans remain unclear, scaling a new decentralized standard inevitably poses certain practical obstacles around stability, user experience, and adoption – all challenges that McCourt is motivated to face.
Implementation aside, McCourt explicitly aligns Project Liberty’s ideals with the original decentralized vision proposed by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web. “The internet was meant to empower individuals, not exploit them,” he stated. “DSNP realigns with Berners-Lee’s original vision.”
The Competition And Geopolitical Stakes
Despite McCourt’s optimism, he’s not alone in wanting to establish and own TikTok’s U.S. division. Recently, President Trump publicly acknowledged four groups interested in buying the platform. These may include tech giant Oracle, a consortium reportedly backed by prominent creators and investors, a Saudi-backed consortium, and McCourt’s own initiative.
Yet McCourt makes a critical distinction: “There are certainly other interested parties,” he confirms. “Oracle, for example, has indicated their desire. But to my knowledge, we are the only group who has submitted a formal offer.”
This distinction highlights McCourt’s seriousness and positions his “People’s Bid” as uniquely aligned with the administration’s stated goals — values of democratic transparency, data sovereignty, and national security.
A successful bid, McCourt suggests, could have broader global implications too, particularly in Europe, where stringent data privacy regulation might spur similar decentralized models.
“Project Liberty has always been designed as a global project,” McCourt states. “Europe is the obvious first step in terms of like-minded thinking. They’ve done the most work around privacy regulation, but policymaking alone isn’t enough. Without technology that aligns with democratic values, they’re constantly fighting American and Chinese platforms. I’d welcome Europe or any region adopting this decentralized approach. It’s the natural next step.”
If Project Liberty succeeds in its vision, one outcome could result in social media potentially evolving into interconnected yet regionally-controlled franchises, which could significantly disrupt Big Tech’s monopolistic power.
The Future Of TikTok In The U.S.
Ultimately, Frank McCourt’s ambitious bid for TikTok represents far more than a corporate acquisition — it’s a challenge to the very fabric of our digital lives. With this in mind, McCourt admits that the challenges ahead are formidable. Migrating millions to a decentralized platform, reinventing content curation, and changing the economics of online advertising won’t be easy.
And yet, he believes that society is at a critical tipping point. “People now recognize the cost of unchecked surveillance and opaque algorithms,” he says. “We finally have the tools and opportunity to fix the internet. If not now, when?”
Whether or not McCourt ultimately acquires TikTok, his bid lands amid critical conversations about digital autonomy, surveillance capitalism, and the future of technology. The platform once known primarily for viral dances and entertainment, has become symbolic of the much deeper question facing our online lives — who truly owns our digital identities?
Win or lose, McCourt’s bid signals a potentially fundamental shift — a growing realization that users, not platforms, should control the internet’s future. “This is bigger than TikTok,” McCourt concludes. “It’s about whether we finally reclaim our digital lives, or remain trapped by the algorithms forever.”
