TikTok US venture to collect precise user location data

January 24, 2026

TikTok's newly formed US joint venture has updated its privacy policy to allow collection of precise location data from American users, expanding beyond the previous limit of approximate location information. The policy changes come after investors, including Oracle, finalized a deal with ByteDance to operate TikTok's US business following years of regulatory pressure over national security concerns. The joint venture also plans to expand data collection around user interactions with artificial intelligence features, while Oracle will oversee retraining of TikTok's recommendation algorithm using American user data stored in US cloud infrastructure.

Who is affected

200 million American TikTok users
ByteDance (TikTok's Chinese owner)
Oracle and its chairman Larry Ellison
Silver Lake (US tech investment firm)
MGX (Abu Dhabi state-owned investment fund)
President Donald Trump's administration
Republican Representative John Moolenaar and the House Select Committee on China
UK and European TikTok users (already experiencing similar data collection)

What action is being taken

The new joint venture is publishing updated privacy terms
Oracle is overseeing the retraining of TikTok's content recommendation algorithm on existing American user data
The algorithm is being secured in Oracle's US cloud environment
The company is processing sensitive personal information "in accordance with applicable law"

Why it matters

This matters because it represents a significant expansion of data collection capabilities for a platform with 200 million American users, occurring precisely when the app was supposed to be addressing national security and privacy concerns. The policy changes allow TikTok to collect more granular location information and AI interaction data at a time when the joint venture was established specifically to secure American user data and address concerns about potential Chinese government access. The timing raises questions about whether the new ownership structure genuinely enhances privacy protections or simply provides cover for expanded surveillance capabilities.

What's next

Precise location sharing feature will reach American users at an unspecified future date, with opt-in required via pop-up message
The House Select Committee on China will conduct oversight of the joint venture deal
Representative Moolenaar has stated that questions about Chinese influence over the algorithm and data security "need to be answered"

Read full article from source: BBC