Overview
- The White House, which sources said Friday was close to a roughly $400 million deal with TikTok, has discussed using the money for Washington, D.C. “beautification” projects including a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
- Officials have examined routing the funds through the Interior Department, the Commerce Department, or both, in a move that would be unusual because such settlements typically direct money to victims or related consumer remedies.
- The proposed agreement, reported by ABC News, is not expected to include an admission of wrongdoing and would still require approval from TikTok’s board.
- The White House declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department, which did not comment, and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.
- The case stems from a 2024 DOJ and FTC lawsuit alleging TikTok violated the children’s online privacy law by collecting data from users under 13, and it unfolds after ByteDance created a majority U.S.-owned venture this January as ethical questions surface over Trump’s role in keeping the app operating in the U.S.