TikTok’s new US joint venture has updated its privacy policy to allow the collection of precise location data from its nearly 200 million American users, reports BBC.
The change follows a finalized deal on Thursday giving US investors oversight of TikTok’s operations, with ByteDance retaining a minority stake of just under 20%. Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX are among the managing investors.
The revised policy permits “precise location data, depending on your settings,” replacing the previous limit of “approximate” location information. Sensitive personal data will still be handled under applicable law, and users can disable location services via device settings.
TikTok has not yet activated precise location sharing in the US; it will remain optional and off by default, requiring user opt-in through a pop-up prompt. Similar features already exist in the UK and Europe via TikTok’s “Nearby Feed.”
The joint venture will also expand data collection on interactions with TikTok’s AI tools, including prompts, questions, and the creation of AI content. Oracle will manage retraining of the recommendation algorithm and secure it on its US cloud infrastructure.
Concerns persist in Washington about ByteDance’s ongoing involvement, with lawmakers questioning whether the arrangement fully protects American user data.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
