Many users and cybersecurity experts have become critical of TikTok’s updated privacy policy in the United States after a change in ownership in the country.
On January 22, TikTok confirmed that a new US-based entity was in control of the app, with the venture formed to sidestep a federal law which forced China’s ByteDance, earlier owner of TikTok, to either sell its stake in the platform or be cut off from the US market. That same day, the company posted its new user terms and conditions and privacy policy.
The new policy now lists categories of sensitive personal data that were not previously spelled out, including: religious affiliation, ethnicity, citizenship status, and gender identity. Under both the new and previous policies, TikTok said it may collect users:
• Racial or ethnic origin
• National origin
• Religious beliefs
• Mental health diagnosis
• Physical health diagnosis
• Sexual life
• Sexual orientation
• Status as transgender
• Status as nonbinary
• Citizenship status
• Immigration status
• Financial information
• Government-issued identification numbers, such as a driver’s license number
Under the new policy, TikTok now collects even more precise location data when enabled. It also infers location through IP address, SIM region, and network signals. The policy also changes how TikTok describes its handling of sensitive data. The company now states that it “processes such sensitive personal information in accordance with applicable law,” CBS reported.
The earlier policy framed this more narrowly, saying it used sensitive information only when needed to run the service or to comply with legal requirements, for example, using payment details to process a purchase or a driver’s license to verify a user’s identity.
The new language mirrors that of the California Consumer Privacy Act, a law that requires businesses to disclose what types of information they collect, including race and ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, and their sex life.
Concerns of users
Many users feel that revealing data on citizenship and immigration status could compromise their personal safety given recent enforcement actions and data misuse cases. Moreover, the policy allows data sharing with service providers and business partner. It does not clearly define who those partners are or how access is limited
According to a post shared by CyberSecurityGirl, the previously collected data included: race and ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation and gender identity, and health and biometic information. Now, under the update the data collected includes: precise geolocation, which means that the app can now request a user’s exact GPS (an option which users can disable); AI Tool Interactions which refers to TikTok collecting your promopts and files you upload on it; and US Ownership (which means that the data is now managed by USDS and stored on Orcale’s US servers).
Policy advocates argue that this is not a small technical change but a broad data grab that raises serious questions about how such information could be usedm stored or even shared.
Account of Palestinian journalist deleted
Award-winning Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Bisan Owda has said that she has been permanently banned from TikTok, alleging her account was removed shortly after the platform’s ownership structure shifted to new US-based investors. “TikTok deleted my account. I had 1.4 million followers there, and I have been building that platform for four years,” Owda said in a video filmed from Gaza.
Who owns TikTok in the US?
Earlier in January, an agreement was reached between TikTok and investors to launch an independent US entity, to ensure that the app isn’t banned in the US after years of wrangling over its fate, Al Jazeera reported.
TikTok’s new ownership includes software maker Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX, which will own a combined 45% of the company. Another 35% stake in TikTok will be owned by eight other investors, including Dell CEO Michael Dell’s personal investment office. ByteDance will retain 19.9% of the business, just below the 20% ownership cap allowed under federal law.
