Tiktok, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, was recently sold by China to the United States after a threat to ban the app due to concerns over the privacy of users’ information and data.
According to BBC News, “A majority-American board now owns and operates a separate entity controlling Tiktok in the U.S.. Backed by mostly U.S. investors, the newly established Tiktok USDS Joint Venture LLC is governed by a board of seven directors” (bbc.com).
According to CBS News, “Backlash to the new policies quickly spread on social media, with some users saying they deleted the app over privacy fears, while others flagged the changes for their followers” (cbsnews.com).
According to an article about the new Tiktok deal, “The deal has raised eyebrows among some Tiktok users who have noted some of the new owners have strong ties to Trump, particularly Ellison…. Some users have also slammed the app for its new terms of service and privacy policy, which it alerted users to in a pop-up message last week” (forbes.com).
It was also reported that, “The new joint venture said in its updated privacy terms that it may now ‘collect precise’ location data, depending on your settings; a change from the previous policy which allowed for the collection of ‘approximate’ location data” (bbc.com).
According to CNN News, “As a private platform, Tiktok is free to exert influence on what users can upload or see. Even if accusations of Tiktok’s censorship are unprovable, it’s understandable that U.S. users would be increasingly skeptical of the platform at this moment…” (cnn.com).
The app, however, states it is not censoring what content can be posted: “The company issued a statement today saying it had suffered a cascading systems failure that had caused multiple bugs on the platform after a power outage at one of its U.S. data centers” (pbs.org).
Many people are concerned about what the new ownership could bring. Junior Joshua Poblete said, “I’m most concerned about how the shift in ownership could change the content I see on my ‘For you’ page and increase the exposure of my personal information.”
CBS News recently reported, “Since Jan. 22, when Tiktok officially came under U.S. ownership, the app has presented users with a pop-up screen altering them to the new terms of service and privacy policies. To continue to use the service, users must click ‘agree,’ or else they are blocked from using Tiktok” (cbsnews.com).
Forbes Magazine said, “According to CNBC, users are deleting TikTok at a higher rate than usual, with the last five days showing an increase of almost 150 percent compared to previous months” (forbes.com).