Billionaire Frank McCourt, an influential figure in both American real estate and global sports, is setting his sights on a new target: TikTok.
The US real estate tycoon, renowned as the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is on a mission to rescue the internet from the monopolistic grip of major tech platforms, which he believes are detrimental to society and harmful to children.
McCourt has long been a vocal critic of big tech, accusing them of manipulating users and fostering societal chaos. “We are being manipulated by these big platforms. And that’s why we see in free societies everywhere, there’s sort of the world on fire, right?”
McCourt’s drive to act was sparked by the impact of social media on his seven children. “This internet is predatory. It’s doing a lot of damage to kids. We see the anxiety, the depression, and an epidemic now of children taking their lives,” he lamented.
Frank McCourt and a ‘new internet’
In response, McCourt is championing a “new internet,” aiming to reclaim control from giants like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X. His vision is a decentralized, open-source protocol where users have sovereignty over their data.
“These platforms have hundreds of thousands of individual attributes about each of us… It’s about how we think, how we emote, how we react, how we behave,” he warned.
Acquiring TikTok, with its massive, predominantly young user base, is a strategic move to propel his initiative, Project Liberty, to unprecedented heights.
Project Liberty
This ambitious project has garnered support from internet pioneer Tim Berners-Lee and NYU professor Jonathan Haidt, whose book “The Anxious Generation” critiques the devastating effects of social media on youth.
McCourt faces competition in his bid, notably from former US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. The urgency of these plans is underscored by a recent bill signed by President Joe Biden, giving TikTok 270 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban.
However, TikTok’s future remains uncertain, as the company contests the law in court and China opposes divestment of its tech jewel.
“The US government’s concern is that the data of 170 million Americans is being scraped and sent to China,” McCourt explained, emphasizing the national security implications. Yet, he hopes the TikTok debate will illuminate broader issues of data privacy and control. “Maybe it’s not going to China, but it’s going somewhere controlled by someone who has everything about you, and that’s not correct. That’s undemocratic,” he asserted.
As McCourt rallies for a revolutionary shift in internet governance, his audacious vision promises to ignite crucial conversations about the future of digital spaces and our place within them.
Source: US billionaire eyes TikTok takeover to save internet from Big Tech
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