Marketplace All-in-One Export controls on TikTok's algorithm are unique but not unprecedented
Oct 6, 2025
The complexities of algorithm export controls take center stage, with discussions on whether TikTok's code can remain under wraps. Experts reveal how algorithms, being abstract, pose unique challenges compared to physical goods. Historical precedents show past government efforts to control encryption, illuminating the ongoing struggle with software restrictions. As the landscape evolves, there’s a foreboding glance at emerging AI export controls, hinting at a new frontier in tech regulation.
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Algorithm Control Determines App Fate
- The app's fate hinges on who controls TikTok's recommendation algorithm rather than the user interface or data alone.
- Algorithms are legally and geopolitically central to whether services can operate across borders.
Algorithms Are Evolving Rules, Not Widgets
- An algorithm is fundamentally math: a set of rules or instructions expressed in code for AI systems that can self-adjust.
- That makes algorithms conceptually different from physical goods and harder to confine by export rules.
Encryption Once Treated As Munitions
- The U.S. historically classified strong encryption as munitions during the Cold War, limiting exports without permission.
- That policy became problematic as the internet and commerce demanded strong encryption worldwide.
