TikTok’s updated privacy policy deepens concerns over user data
TikTok’s updated privacy policy deepens concerns over user data
Publish Date: 2026-01-28 08:41:00
Source Domain: www.biometricupdate.com
As TikTok restructures its U.S. operations under a newly created, majority American-owned joint venture, the company has quietly updated its privacy policy in ways that are reigniting long-standing concerns about how much personal information the platform collects and how that data could be used.
While the ownership deal is designed to address national security fears tied to foreign influence, lawmakers and privacy experts have expressed concerns over TikTok’s expanded data collection practices, including the handling of sensitive personal information such as precise location and immigration or citizenship status.
One of the most significant updates is TikTok’s explicit acknowledgment that it may collect precise location data from users who enable device-level location services.
Earlier U.S. policy language emphasized approximate location derived from IP addresses or SIM data, and TikTok had previously said it did not rely on GPS-level tracking for U.S. users. The revised policy removes that distinction.
Privacy experts have long warned that precise location data is among the most sensitive categories of personal information. When combined with TikTok’s existing behavioral data such as viewing habits, interactions, follows, device identifiers, and inferred interests, location data can produce an unusually detailed portrait of an individual’s life.
More controversially, TikTok’s policy now clearly states that it may collect and process sensitive personal information, including citizenship or immigration status.
The company has said such disclosures are driven in part by U.S. privacy laws that require companies to list categories of data they may handle if users choose to provide them or if the information is inferred.
But civil liberties advocates note that immigration status is not just another demographic attribute. It is among the most legally and socially sensitive forms of personal data in the U.S., carrying heightened risks of…
