As Washington’s stated deadline for a TikTok divestment draws nearer, real estate billionaire Frank McCourt has emerged as one of the most interesting contenders vying for control of the viral video platform.
Notably, McCourt says he doesn’t want TikTok for profit or power.
“This bid is about rebalancing power in the digital world,” McCourt told Forbes in an interview. “We want to transform TikTok from a platform that extracts value from users into one that empowers them.”
With just days remaining before the June 19 deadline to force a sale of or ban it outright, U.S. President Trump is reportedly preparing to grant a third extension, buying ByteDance and U.S. bidders more time to reach a potential deal.
While the delays and negotiations so far speak to complex geopolitics and commercial uncertainty, they also bring to the fore systemic questions around the kind of internet people really want.
McCourt is betting that Americans may want something radically different: Through his initiative Project Liberty, McCourt proposes to replatform TikTok using the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol — an open-source infrastructure designed to give users control over their data, identities and digital relationships.
To read the full article, visit the Forbes website here.