It’s clear that the TikTok USDS Joint Venture is still working to resolve problems connected to the power outage. But their decision to remain silent while the app got buggy during the first weekend under the control of right-wing US owners hand-picked by Donald Trump sparked conspiracy theories on social media that the app had begun censoring left-leaning users.
As the app comes back online, users have also taken note that TikTok is collecting more of their data under US control. As Wired reported, TikTok asked US users to agree to a new terms of service and privacy policy, which allows TikTok to potentially collect “more detailed information about its users, including precise location data.”
“Before this update, the app did not collect the precise, GPS-derived location data of US users,” Wired reported. “Now, if you give TikTok permission to use your phone’s location services, then the app may collect granular information about your exact whereabouts.”
New policies also pushed users to agree to share all their AI interactions, which allows TikTok to store their metadata and trace AI inputs back to specific accounts.
Already seeming more invasive and less reliable, for TikTok users, questions likely remain how much their favorite app might change under new ownership, as the TikTok USDS Joint Venture prepares to retrain the app’s algorithm.
Trump has said that he wants to see the app become “100 percent MAGA,” prompting fears that “For You” pages might soon be flooded with right-wing content or that leftist content like anti-ICE criticism might be suppressed. And The Information reported in July that transferring millions of users over to the US-trained app is expected to cause more “technical issues.”
This post was updated on January 26 to add new information from TikTokUSDS.
