Require Department of Homeland Security agents be given access to systems at TikTok to monitor and modify the algorithm to their liking instead of just shutting the whole thing down.

First, you would have a very determined adversary versus the very best of Homeland Security aka completely incompetent fools (in reality it would be outsourced to the very best lowest bidder).

Second, what are you gonna do when you find a violation, fine them? If you can even prove it, we know how well that works.

Third, no matter how you bend the algorithm, I can make it bend further to do what I want.

Finally, China will just keep swallowing whatever penalty in order to keep feeding propaganda.

All you are doing is postponing the inevitable shutdown. You might as well get it over with now.

that's utterly defeatist. if I pointed out that you're not going to live forever, so why not get it over with now, I'd be a total asshole.

I see you're in the "government is always incompetent" camp. If, instead, we treat it as fallible; imperfect but not always incompetent, there's a reasonable job that can be done. (yes, even by the government.)

ideally there would be more creative penalties than mere fines, and in this fantasy world of mine, there would be proper, non-monetary incentives for compliance.

ultimately, full divestment of CCP influence on TikTok is the goal. If Mark Zuckerberg owned TikTok we'd be back to regular hating on social media, instead of this extra geopolitical version.