Mic Drop: Frank McCourt wants TikTok to help him reinvent the Internet

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Mic Drop: Frank McCourt Wants TikTok to Help Him Reinvent the Internet"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Click Here
• Host/Author: Recorded Future News
• Episode: Mic Drop: Frank McCourt Wants TikTok to Help Him Reinvent the Internet
• Release Date: July 18, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of "Click Here," host Dena Temple-Raston delves into a visionary plan spearheaded by billionaire Frank McCourt. Known for his previous ventures, including owning the Los Angeles Dodgers, McCourt is now pivoting towards a mission to fundamentally transform the Internet. This episode explores McCourt's ambitious Project Liberty and its potential to redefine digital ownership and trust.

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Frank McCourt’s Vision for the Internet

Frank McCourt is not your typical tech mogul. With a background rooted in building successful sports empires and real estate, McCourt has turned his attention to addressing the profound issues he perceives within the current digital landscape.

Key Points:

• Critique of the Current Internet: McCourt is candid about his concerns, stating, "It's made us dumber. It's corrupted our information ecosystem. It's very difficult to separate fact from fiction. We're barely governable, we're polarized. Children are being harmed and taken advantage of. There's a lot broken with the Internet." (04:51)

• Project Liberty: Launched in December 2019, Project Liberty aims to overhaul the Internet's foundational structures. McCourt emphasizes the need to address inherent design flaws to make the Internet a tool that empowers rather than exploits individuals.

Notable Quote:

"Project Liberty is really about bringing the Internet forward in a way that takes all of the good things that the Internet provides and actually fix and address the obvious design flaws in a way that will make it a more powerful tool for people and not a more powerful tool to exploit people."
— Frank McCourt (06:28)

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Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP)

At the heart of Project Liberty is the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), a revolutionary framework designed to give individuals unprecedented control over their digital identities and data.

Key Points:

• Ownership and Control: DSNP enables users to own their identity, data, relationships, and permissions. Unlike traditional platforms where data is harvested and monetized by tech giants, DSNP places data ownership back into the hands of individuals.

• Interoperability: Drawing parallels to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, McCourt envisions DSNP as a means to prevent digital monopolies. "With them and imagine the apps as modern day telcos. They should be interoperable. You shouldn't be stuck on a single app with all your relationships that you've built up over time." (07:31)

• User Adoption: Currently, DSNP boasts around 2 million users with aspirations to reach 30 million by the end of the year. Early adopters include platforms like MeWe and WeAre8, but broader adoption hinges on collaboration with major players like TikTok.

Notable Quote:

"It's a protocol which actually enables individuals to interact directly, to be in control on the Internet, not have data being scraped by large platforms, but rather we as individuals would own our identity, our data, our relationships and permission its use."
— Frank McCourt (07:11)

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The TikTok Opportunity

The episode transitions to the geopolitical tension surrounding TikTok, particularly the U.S. government's legislative push to ban the app due to national security concerns.

Key Points:

• Legislative Background: In April 2024, a bill was passed to force the sale of TikTok's American operations to a non-Chinese entity. This legislation created a window of opportunity that McCourt eagerly seized.

• McCourt’s Bid: Frank McCourt has submitted a $20 billion bid to acquire TikTok, presenting himself as a viable alternative to ownership by ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company. His proposal includes:

  • Exclusion of Chinese Technology: McCourt aims to purchase TikTok without integrating ByteDance's backend, algorithms, or Chinese technology.
  • National Security Compliance: By building the full stack from the ground up, McCourt asserts that his bid addresses the national security concerns that triggered the legislation.

Notable Quote:

"The best buyer and maybe the only viable buyer because we've built the full stack from the bottom up. That solves for the national security concerns that drove the legislation in the first instance."
— Frank McCourt (10:01)

• Government Involvement: McCourt has been in dialogue with the White House and Vice President J.D. Vance’s office, indicating active governmental interest in his proposal.

Challenges:

• Acceptance from ByteDance and China: The primary hurdle remains ByteDance’s willingness to sell TikTok under McCourt’s terms. McCourt admits uncertainty regarding China’s decision, emphasizing the unpredictability of the outcome.

Notable Quote:

"The honest answer to your question is we don't know what China is going to do. We don't know if they're going to sell us TikTok or just shut it down. That's the big question right now."
— Frank McCourt (11:18)

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Future Prospects and Commitment to Change

Regardless of the TikTok acquisition outcome, McCourt is unwavering in his commitment to Project Liberty and the transformation of the Internet.

Key Points:

• Continued Development: McCourt states that Project Liberty will proceed irrespective of the TikTok deal, highlighting the critical nature of redefining digital ownership and trust.

• Vision for the Future: He underscores the urgency of the moment, presenting a dichotomy between a future where digital entities control our data and a future where individuals reclaim ownership. "Are we going to be kind of dragged into a future where everything about us is owned by someone else, or are we going to design and build the future we want, which actually returns to people what is rightfully theirs." (11:39)

Notable Quote:

"We're all connected morning, noon and night, and I think we're at a very important, you know, fork in the road. Are we going to be kind of dragged into a future where everything about us is owned by someone else, or are we going to design and build the future we want..."
— Frank McCourt (11:39)

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Conclusion

This episode of "Click Here" sheds light on Frank McCourt's audacious plan to revolutionize the Internet through Project Liberty and the DSNP. By targeting TikTok, McCourt aims to leverage a globally recognized platform to accelerate the adoption of a decentralized and user-centric digital ecosystem. While the success of this endeavor remains uncertain, McCourt's dedication underscores a pivotal moment in the ongoing discourse about digital ownership, privacy, and the future of the Internet.

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This summary captures the essence of the podcast episode, highlighting key discussions and insights shared by Frank McCourt and Dena Temple-Raston. For listeners seeking to understand the intersection of cybersecurity, digital ownership, and global tech dynamics, this episode offers a thought-provoking exploration.

Transcript

[Dena Temple Rest]

From Recorded Future news and prx, this is Click here. Hey, it's Dena. A few weeks ago, President Trump gave TikTok another reprieve, and with it, another chance to wrestle with a question no one is quite sure how to answer. Who gets to own the town square? Today we return to our conversation with billionaire Frank McCourt. He has a plan not just to buy TikTok, but to rewire the Internet it runs on. One that replaces clicks and profits with public trust. At least that's the idea. Take a listen.

[Frank McCourt]

We have a solution.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Purely coincidentally, that's Frank McCourt, billionaire, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now the man who wants to rewrite the DNA of the Internet.

[Frank McCourt]

I don't want to imply that, you know, when I launched Project Liberty In December of 2019, I was thinking that TikTok was going to be banned someday. That was not it at all. But we happen to have a solution that solves the riddle. And it would be a wonderful way to catalyze this upgraded Internet, this alternative Internet.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Once he built sports empires and skyscrapers.

[Frank McCourt]

She is gone.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Now he's in the business of building a better world wide web. And he has a plan, a plan that just may hinge on the forced sale of TikTok.

[Frank McCourt]

Foreign.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Future News, this is Click. Here's Mic Drop. A longer listen to one of our favorite interviews of the week. I'm Dena Temple Rest, and today, a dark horse in the race to buy America's favorite video app, TikTok. TikTok's Chinese parent company has a choice. Cut ties with its American arm or risk being cut off entirely. Enter Frank McCord. He wants to reinvent the Internet. Who owns our data, how it's shared, who profits? And as fate would have it, this TikTok showdown might be just the opportunity he's been waiting for.

[Frank McCourt]

For me, the TikTok legislation was really a gift.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Stay with.

[Jan Marsalek]

Jan. Marsalek was a model of German corporate success.

[Unknown Speaker]

It seemed so damn simple for him.

[Jan Marsalek]

Also, it turned out, a fraudster. Where does the money come from? That was something that I always was questioning myself. But what if I told you that was the least interesting thing about him? His secret office was less than 500 meters down the road.

[Unknown Speaker]

I often ask myself now, did I know the true Jan at all? Certain things in my life since then have gone terribly wrong.

[Frank McCourt]

I don't know if they followed me to my home. It looks like the ingredients of a really grand spy story, because this ties.

[Unknown Speaker]

Together the cold war with the new one.

[Jan Marsalek]

Listen to Hot agent of chaos wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Foreign.

[Unknown Speaker]

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[Dena Temple Rest]

Foreign I'm Dina Templewurst and this is click. Here's mic drop. Frank McCourt doesn't really sugarcoat things, particularly not when it comes to the Internet and what he thinks is wrong with it.

[Frank McCourt]

It's made us dumber. It's corrupted our information ecosystem. It's very difficult to separate fact from fiction. We're barely governable, we're polarized. Children are being harmed and taken advantage of. There's a lot broken with the Internet.

[Dena Temple Rest]

That wasn't how it started. He said.

[Frank McCourt]

We thought the Internet was kind of inherently a good thing. We thought it was inherently democratizing somehow it was going to make us all smarter and advance civilization.

[Dena Temple Rest]

But instead of empowering individuals, he says it has enriched a handful of tech titans who hoover up our personal data. Data, or as he thinks of it, our personhood.

[Frank McCourt]

I just would urge your listeners, every time they hear the word data, think personhood. It's who we are in the digital age and we should own ourselves.

[Dena Temple Rest]

These tech titans, of course, don't just collect our data, they profit from it. And yet we continue to give away our data freely. Click I agree. Accept cookies, trade privacy for convenience. And Frank says it's more than just a bad deal. It's an existential threat.

[Frank McCourt]

I think people are understanding more and more and quickly that it's having these big platforms have all this information about each of us is not a great thing. But having these big platforms be able to affect the way we think and manipulate us is a very, very bad thing.

[Dena Temple Rest]

This is what inspired Frank to create what he calls Project Liberty.

[Frank McCourt]

Project Liberty is really about bringing the Internet forward in a way that takes all of the good things that the Internet provides and actually fix and address the obvious design flaws in a way that will make it a more powerful tool for people and not a more powerful tool to exploit people.

[Dena Temple Rest]

At its core, Project Liberty is a new foundation for the web, a new protocol. He calls it dsnp, the decentralized social networking protocol.

[Frank McCourt]

It's a protocol which actually enables individuals to interact directly, to be in control on the Internet, not have data being scraped by large platforms, but rather we as individuals would own our identity, our data, our relationships and permission its use.

[Dena Temple Rest]

What he thinks DSMP could do is a little similar to what the Telecommunications act did back in 1996. Before the act, your phone number belonged to the carrier. If you switched companies, you lost your number. Just about everybody hated that. Then the law changed, your number became yours. Frank says DSMP would do that for people's online data. Today, if an influencer leaves Instagram, they leave their audience behind. Under dsmp, they could take their followers.

[Frank McCourt]

With them and imagine the apps as modern day telcos. They should be interoperable. You shouldn't be stuck on a single app with all your relationships that you've built up over time.

[Dena Temple Rest]

This would make it harder for any website to lock you in.

[Frank McCourt]

This new Internet where you have a single sign on, you don't have 50 passwords that you have to remember for 50 different apps because the apps are built using the same protocol and you have access to all of them.

[Dena Temple Rest]

Frank has already launched DSNP. He says it already has about 2 million users. And if momentum keeps building, the number could hit 30 million by year's end. Which sounds impressive, but in the grand scheme of the Internet, where 5.5 billion people are connected, it's barely a drop in the digital ocean. A few smaller platforms like Mewe and we are eight have signed on. But for DSNP to truly take off, it needs something bigger, a major player, a name that carries weight. And that's where TikTok comes in. In April 2024, when the house passed a bill to force the sale of TikTok, Frank immediately saw an opening. So where were you when you decided this whole TikTok ban might be a gift? Or did you see it coming?

[Frank McCourt]

Actually, I was in the back of an SUV and the news came forward that this was this legislation had passed. New at 11, a bill that could ban TikTok here in the is now headed to President Biden's desk for his. So I started a conversation saying, look, let's check. But I think our technology actually coincidentally meets the criteria.

[Dena Temple Rest]

The bill demanded that TikTok's American operations be sold to a non Chinese owner. And McCork says he's already made a bid and submitted it to the Chinese with a simple argument we would be.

[Frank McCourt]

The best buyer and maybe the only viable buyer because we've built the full stack from the bottom up. That solves for the national security concerns that drove the legislation in the first instance. We're hoping that. That China and ByteDance decide to sell us TikTok without the back end, without the algorithm and the Chinese technology, and in which case we think we're in an excellent position to buy what's left.

[Dena Temple Rest]

And is the $20 billion bid, is that, is that number correct?

[Frank McCourt]

Yeah. We've been a bit circumspect about talking about numbers, but having said that, I've been fairly outspoken prior to formally submitting the bid, and our offer was consistent with my public comment.

[Dena Temple Rest]

McCourt also has been in talks with the White house. Vice President J.D. vance is said to be leading the effort to find a buyer for the app. And Frank was coy about saying whether he'd talked with Vance directly, but I.

[Frank McCourt]

Can confirm that we've been in dialogue with the White House and with Vice President Vance's office, and those are active conversations.

[Dena Temple Rest]

But will ByteDance and more importantly, Beijing agree to sell?

[Frank McCourt]

The honest answer to your question is we don't know what China is going to do. We don't know if they're going to sell us TikTok or just shut it down. That's the big question right now.

[Dena Temple Rest]

If Frank McCourt gets what he wants, TikTok could be the launch pad for his new decentralized Internet. And if he doesn't, he says he'll keep pushing.

[Frank McCourt]

One thing that's going to happen for sure is that Project Liberty is going to continue down the path that's going on. Whether it buy us TikTok or not, we're going to continue to move forward. It's not like the Internet is a nice to have thing at this stage of the game. It's a must have. We're all connected morning, noon and night, and I think we're at a very important, you know, fork in the road. Are we going to be kind of dragged into a future where everything about us is owned by someone else, or are we going to design and build the future we want, which actually returns to people what is rightfully theirs, in my opinion, which is everything about us, it should be ours to determine how it's used.

[Dena Temple Rest]

From recorded future news, this has been Click Here's Mic Drop. It was written and produced by Megan Dietre, Sean Powers, Erica Gaeda, Zach Hirsch, Lucas Riley and me, Dina Templest. It was edited by Karen Duffin. We'll be back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend.

[Unknown Speaker]

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