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Everything You Need to Know: TikTok U.S. Takeover Led by IDF Supporters

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A new version of TikTok is coming — and it will be backed by billionaires with deep financial and ideological ties to Israel and its military. The U.S. government has forced a major restructuring of the app, and those now in control are anything but neutral.

Here’s everything you need to know about who’s involved, what’s changing, and why this threatens digital freedom and Palestinian visibility online.

🧠 What’s Happening

In 2024, the U.S. passed legislation compelling TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its American operations or face a national ban. Now, a new U.S.-based TikTok entity is being formed — and it will be controlled by a powerful consortium of investors.

The key players behind the deal are:

  • Oracle (majority infrastructure provider and lead partner)
  • Silver Lake Partners
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Other financial backers and institutional investors

Although ByteDance will retain a minority stake, the algorithm, infrastructure, and user data of TikTok U.S. will be under the control of this U.S. consortium — including Oracle servers, American board members, and oversight from U.S. government bodies.

💣 Why It Matters

These new TikTok owners are not neutral actors. They have public and financial ties to pro-Israel organizations, IDF-linked groups, and Israeli state interests. Let’s break it down.

🔗 Oracle: Infrastructure, Influence, and Israel

Oracle is the tech giant that will host all U.S. TikTok user data on its servers. But the company’s leadership has long-standing ties to Israel and the IDF:

1. Safra Catz (CEO)

  • Israeli-American, born in Holon, Israel
  • In 2024, she was quoted saying employees who are not loyal to both America and Israel “have no place at Oracle”
  • Has reportedly attended closed-door meetings with Israeli officials and military leaders

2. Larry Ellison (Co-founder and Chairman)

  • Jewish-American billionaire
  • One of the largest individual donors to the Friends of the IDF, with a $75 million donation
  • Offered Netanyahu a board seat at Oracle in 2014
  • Publicly aligned with pro-Israel policies, including during the Gaza siege

3. Oracle-Israel Tech Contracts

  • Oracle operates a cloud region in Jerusalem
  • Has confidential contracts with the Israeli military and ministries
  • First major U.S. company to provide cloud infrastructure inside Israel

💼 Silver Lake: Financial Powerhouse with Oracle Ties

Silver Lake Partners, led by Egon Durban, is a massive tech-focused private equity firm that:

  • Owns billions in Oracle shares
  • Has partnered closely with Larry Ellison on multiple tech deals
  • Holds investments in surveillance and security technologies linked to Israel

Silver Lake’s influence over the boardroom direction of Oracle — and now TikTok U.S. — means indirect access to the platform's policies, data priorities, and content governance.

💰 Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

  • Led by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz
  • A16z has funded Israeli cybersecurity startups and promotes Web3-style decentralized moderation, which critics say often disfavors Palestinian voices under the guise of “neutrality”
  • Has historically been silent on Israeli apartheid, despite being vocal on many global crises

🧱 TikTok and Censorship of Palestine

The original TikTok algorithm has already been accused of:

  • Shadowbanning pro-Palestinian creators
  • Removing Gaza content during key moments in the war
  • Favoring Israeli narratives during escalations

Now, with Oracle and its allies in control, many digital rights activists are concerned this will get worse. Oracle’s prior collaboration with Israeli ministries on social media content moderation was reported in The Intercept, where internal emails showed efforts to elevate pro-Israel voices and suppress dissent.

This is no longer just about banning TikTok to keep it away from China. It’s about replacing one form of foreign influence with another — one with deep ties to the military occupation of Palestine.

🎯 What This Means for You

  • TikTok U.S. will become a separate app, governed by U.S. and possibly Israeli-aligned oversight
  • Content moderation may increasingly reflect pro-Israel biases
  • Your data will now be stored and filtered through companies who have supported war crimes, funded IDF units, or partnered with Israeli surveillance industries

🔐 How to Stay Safe and Informed

1. Download the Boycat App

Get real-time alerts on brands and platforms that fund injustice or normalize genocide.

2. Use BuycatVPN

Access the international TikTok version, bypass geoblocks, and protect your data from surveillance.
BuycatVPN is a zero-logs, ethical VPN built by the Boycat community.

3. Amplify Palestinian Creators

Follow, engage with, and share the content of creators exposing Israeli apartheid.
Use platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or independent news apps where censorship is (for now) less aggressive.

4. Email TikTok and Oracle

Ask for transparency. Ask for human rights standards in moderation policies. Demand neutrality.

🧾 Sources

  • The Intercept – “Oracle Worked With Israel to Promote Pro-IDF Narratives on TikTok”
  • Reuters – “Oracle to host TikTok U.S. data in new ownership plan”
  • Politico – “TikTok faces forced divestment under new U.S. law”
  • Wall Street Journal – “Larry Ellison's Big Tech Influence”
  • FIDF Reports – “Largest donation in history from Larry Ellison”
  • UN Reports – Documentation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and West Bank
  • ByteDance Official Statement on U.S. TikTok Deal
  • U.S. Senate Bill S.3470 – TikTok Divestment Act