TikTok’s new privacy policy raises questions about protecting user data – El Estoque
TikTok’s new privacy policy raises questions about protecting user data – El Estoque
Publish Date: 2026-03-08 13:46:00
Source Domain: elestoque.org
TikTok users opened up the app on Friday, Jan. 23, ready to start another scroll session, only to be met with a pop-up: “Updates to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.” The pop-up featured three bullet points announcing an updated corporate entity, referring to the switch to majority U.S.-based management following U.S. government pressure, as well as the collection of new types of data like exact locations and user information being used to curate targeted ads outside of TikTok.
Now that user data is in the hands of U.S.-based software company Oracle, the new privacy policy shows some changes to how that data will be used and collected on the app. Specifically, TikTok will now collect precise location data where only approximate location was used before. Additionally, the app will now collect all data and metadata associated with interactions with AI tools on the app, and TikTok will use user data to influence ads seen outside the app, where it previously only targeted users in-app. Prior to these changes, TikTok’s privacy policy already allowed for all personal data given by the user through content or collected through interactions to be used to personalize the algorithm, which this broader data collection could potentially bolster.
The policy change came with little fanfare, but is a major development in the progression of the controversy over TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd., storing U.S. users’ data and managing TikTok’s algorithm in China. The controversy, based on concerns that the Chinese government could misuse U.S. user data or tamper with TikTok’s algorithm to spread propaganda and misinformation, led to President Joe Biden signing legislation into law in 2024 demanding that ByteDance either sell TikTok to a U.S.-based owner or be banned by January 2025. ByteDance filed a lawsuit, and President Donald Trump signed four executive orders extending negotiations until a deal was met. The result of this deal…
