The New TikTok Terms 

Diving into the app’s new political ties and user conditions

Doomscrolling on TikTok has become somewhat of an everyday ritual across the country, and, now, thanks to an agreement establishing a U.S.-based version of the app, that pastime—which racks up an average of ~48 hours of monthly activity per user—is safe from former threats of peril for around 200M Americans.

But the end of the yearslong standoff doesn’t come without potential consequences. The uncertain transition may lead to noticeable changes in algorithms for users—and less noticeable changes to the use of their data. 

Per the agreement, TikTok will now “retrain, test and update the content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data,” the company said, plus “safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem and have decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and content moderation.”

In short, the new U.S. joint venture will have full control of what users are able to post, see and send, and critics of the agreement worry the app is trading one form of unwarranted government influence for another. 

Abu Dhabi-based AI investment firm MGX and software giant Oracle Corporation, two of the main shareholders in the new deal, have close ties to the Trump Administration, and concerns of whether these ties will sway content are on the rise. For one, users raised a red flag after noticing censorship of the name “Epstein” immediately after the new terms took place. 

To wit, in September President Trump said he would make the app “100% MAGA” if he could before promising “every group, every philosophy and every policy” equal treatment. Amid the eyebrow-raising political ties, the app’s new terms and conditions and privacy policy is also sparking controversy. 

TikTok can collect your info on the following and more: racial or ethnic origin, national origin, religious beliefs, mental health diagnosis, sexual orientation, status as transgender, citizenship status and immigration status. Plus, it can gather biometric identifiers from your content. 

The former TikTok policy also claimed rights to collect similar stats, but the new conditions change how sensitive info is handled, stating it “processes such sensitive personal information in accordance with applicable law.” Critics flagged the new rule as vague, and it’s still unclear if or how the platform will choose to employ users’ info. 

In addition, the new policy allows TikTok to track your “precise location.” Even if your location tracking is toggled off for the app, it can still narrow down your general location thanks to your IP address. The new rules aren’t optional—users must click “agree” or stop the scroll. 

From the first debate about the social media platform, change was inevitable. But now, the app’s success is at stake, notes Law and Tech Professor Anupam Chander. “Many people clearly like what the algorithm is showing today,” emphasizes Chander. “They don’t want that algorithm to start pushing things they don’t want to see or the new owners’ agenda.” 

Regardless of your stance on the sale, one thing is certain: It may be wise to scan what you’re signing up for before hitting “I agree.” 

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