The landscape of TikTok in the United States has shifted dramatically in recent days, prompting a wave of users to delete the app. This exodus follows the establishment of a new U.S.-based entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, designed to address long-standing concerns about data security and potential influence from the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance. However, instead of reassuring users, the move appears to have triggered a backlash, fueled by worries over updated terms of service and privacy policies.
Data from Sensor Tower indicates a significant surge in daily TikTok deletions among U.S. users, with a nearly 150% increase in the past five days compared to the previous three months. This spike suggests a growing unease among Americans regarding the platform's data collection practices and its future direction under new management.
The primary catalyst for this user exodus appears to be the updated privacy policy, which details the types of data TikTok collects. Users have expressed alarm over the policy's language, which states that TikTok may collect sensitive information such as "your racial or ethnic origin," "sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status, or financial information". While some reports indicate that this language has been present since August 2024, the recent change in ownership seems to have amplified concerns about potential surveillance.
Another point of contention is TikTok's expanded access to location data. The new policy states that TikTok may collect "precise location information" from users' devices if location services are enabled. Experts note that this represents a shift from the previous policy, which explicitly stated that the app did not collect precise GPS information. The ability to track a user's location down to their address or even the floor of an apartment building has understandably raised privacy red flags.
Adding to the user frustration, TikTok has experienced technical issues, including outages and failed video uploads. The TikTok USDS Joint Venture attributed these problems to a power outage at a U.S. data center, but the disruptions have further fueled the perception of instability and eroded user trust.
The situation is further complicated by the history of political tensions surrounding TikTok. In the past, concerns have been raised about potential data access by the Chinese government and the possibility of the app being used to influence public opinion. These concerns led to attempts to ban TikTok in the U.S., with the Trump administration taking steps to force ByteDance to sell its stake in the platform.
While the new U.S.-based entity was intended to address these national security concerns and ensure the app's continued operation in the country, it appears to have backfired, at least in the short term. The combination of privacy policy changes, technical glitches, and lingering distrust has created a perfect storm, leading many Americans to question whether TikTok is worth the risk. The long-term impact of this user exodus remains to be seen, but it highlights the delicate balance between innovation, data privacy, and national security in the digital age.
