This Billionaire is Buying TikTok! Really?

Friend of the show, Howie Mandell is filling in for Jason Alexander. He’s the only man balder than Jason so… it works! Lately, TikTok has been in the news with claims that it’s an arm of the Chinese Government - but with 170 million Americans on the app, is there a danger? Billionaire Frank McCourt thinks this perceived danger can be turned into a positive by using TikTok’s American userbase to supercharge a brand new and improved internet. Really, no really! Frank McCourt, Jr. is a civic entrepreneur and the executive chairman of McCourt Global, a private family company committed to building a better future through real estate, sports, technology, media, and capital investment industries. Additionally, he's the founder of Project Liberty, a far-reaching, $500 million initiative focused on leading a movement of people who want to take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming the internet. Frank also owns the French football club Olympique de Marseille and formerly owned the Los Angeles Dodgers. *** IN THIS EPISODE: How influential are apps like TikTok? The weaponization of social media has empowered mob rule. McCourt founded Project Liberty to take control of our data & privacy. TikTok poses an existential threat? People should have the right to own and sell their own data. Would Howie lose his 11 million followers if Frank buys TikTok? TikTok influencers don’t know who their followers are unlike other platforms. Influencers, not social media platforms should own their followers. The Chinese Government can feed disinformation to 170 million Americans; to get them to believe what the Chinese want them to believe. Mr. Beast, Kevin O’Leary… …and maybe Howie, are joining Project Liberty. But will Byte Dance actually sell U.S. TikTok? Jason returns and has thoughts! *** FOLLOW FRANK: Website (McCourt Global): mccourt.com Website (Project Liberty): projectliberty.io Website (Fix TikTok): thepeoplesbid.com Instagram: @pro_jectliberty X: @pro_jectliberty *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads X See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices