Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on September 25, 2025. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

TikTok’s feed is famous for knowing users better than they know themselves. Now, a US deal could put that power in the hands of Trump allies and tech giants. What might change for the 170 million Americans on the app – and what does this fight reveal about control of speech and data?

In this episode: 
Robert Rogowsky, Professor of Trade and Economic Diplomacy, Middlebury Institute for International Studies

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Chloe K. Li and Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Tamara Khandaker, Sari el-Khalili, and Chloe K Li, with Manny Panaretos, Melanie Marich, Marcos Bartolome, Kisaa Zehra, Farhan Rafid, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on September 25, 2025. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.
TikTok&rsquo;s feed is famous for knowing users better than they know themselves. Now, a US deal could put that power in the hands of Trump allies and tech giants. What might change for the 170 million Americans on the app &ndash; and what does this fight reveal about control of speech and data?
In this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Robert Rogowsky, Professor of Trade and Economic Diplomacy, Middlebury Institute for International Studies</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was updated by Chloe K. Li and Sar&iacute; el-Khalili. The original production team was Tamara Khandaker, Sari el-Khalili, and Chloe K Li, with Manny Panaretos, Melanie Marich, Marcos Bartolome, Kisaa Zehra, Farhan Rafid, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. 
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take&rsquo;s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera&rsquo;s head of audio.&nbsp;
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">X</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.