A deal to transfer control of social media app TikTok’s US operations from ByteDance to Oracle could be scuppered by lingering national security concerns, with President Donald Trump holding off on approval until they are addressed, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier in the week, Oracle confirmed reports it would act as a “trusted technology provider” for TikTok’s US division, a move meant to quell fears about the social media service’s ties to the Chinese government through parent ByteDance.

CNBC originally tipped Trump to clear the transaction on 15 September. However, Bloomberg reported today (16 September) discussions between the companies and administration dragged on as officials raised fears ByteDance might still be able to access US data.

A group of Senate politicians aired similar concerns in a letter to Trump, stating “serious questions” about the deal remain, including Oracle’s role in TikTok’s US operations and who will control the algorithms on which the app is based.

They insisted “a partial sale, or trusted partnership deal, is insufficient”, adding the transaction “must ensure that TikTok’s US operations, data and algorithms are entirely outside the control of ByteDance” or any Chinese government agencies.

South China Morning Post previously reported the algorithms were off the table.