TikTok US will collect precise user location data
Kyiv • UNN
TikTok US has updated its privacy policy, expanding data collection to include precise user location. This follows an agreement with American investors to avoid a ban.
The newly established TikTok joint venture in the US has updated its privacy policy, expanding the list of data the company can obtain from 200 million American users. The changes occurred immediately after an agreement was reached between China's ByteDance and a group of American investors, which allowed the platform to avoid a ban in the United States. This was reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
Details
The main change in the terms of use was the service's right to collect "precise location data, depending on your settings." Previously, TikTok's policy was limited to collecting only "approximate" location based on IP address or SIM card. The new feature will be disabled by default, and users will be offered to activate it through a special message, which will allow the implementation of "nearby" event and business search services, which are already operating in Europe.
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In addition to geolocation, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is expanding access to user interactions with artificial intelligence tools. The company will collect data on queries, prompts, and the time and place of AI content creation. emphasized that these measures are being taken to
The measures are being taken to ensure the protection of US user data, applications, and algorithms through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures.
Oracle's role and the political context of the deal
A key player in the new venture is the cloud computing giant Oracle, led by Larry Ellison, an ally of President Donald Trump. Oracle will control the retraining of TikTok algorithms based on American data, ensuring its storage in its own cloud environment in the US. This decision is the result of a long-standing dispute between Washington and Beijing over national security threats.
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The agreement allowed ByteDance to retain a minority stake of about 20%, while business management passed to American investors, including Silver Lake and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX fund. Thus, the Trump administration effectively completed the forced sale of assets that began in 2024 due to concerns about the Chinese government's access to US citizens' personal information.