Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is devising a plan to acquire TikTok by proposing to purchase the app without its crucial algorithm, aiming to rebuild it from scratch. Mnuchin believes this strategy could circumvent obstacles such as the app's high price tag and the Chinese government's ban on certain features. Lawmakers are concerned about potential delays or permanent derailment of efforts to regulate TikTok, as the Senate considers amendments to a House bill targeting the platform's operations. The broader issue raised by TikTok's controversies is the lack of a comprehensive data governance model safeguarding privacy and civil liberties in social media platforms.