TikTok Updates Privacy Policy to Allow Collection of Precise Location Data in the US
TikTok’s newly formed US joint venture has updated its privacy policy to allow the collection of more detailed location information from its American users, expanding the scope of data the platform can gather as it begins operating under new ownership.
The policy change comes days after a group of investors finalised a deal with TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to take control of the app’s US business. Under the revised terms, TikTok says it may collect “precise location data,” subject to user settings, a shift from its earlier policy that limited collection to approximate location information.
TikTok has not publicly commented on the update. However, the company said the data would be handled in line with applicable laws and that users would be able to disable location sharing through their device settings.
Previously, TikTok already gathered location details inferred from users’ IP addresses or SIM cards. Its earlier US policy, last updated in 2024, stated that even approximate GPS data was not collected from American users on the latest version of the app. The revised policy signals a broader approach, although precise location tracking has not yet been activated in the US.
According to the company, any rollout of precise location sharing is expected to be optional and switched off by default, with users prompted to opt in. TikTok has not announced when the feature will be introduced to American users.
In other regions, including the UK and parts of Europe, TikTok already collects similar data to power its “Nearby Feed,” which highlights local events and businesses.
Beyond location data, the updated policy also expands the type of information TikTok can gather about users’ interactions with its artificial intelligence tools. This includes prompts submitted to AI features and details about when and how AI-generated content is created.
The US business is now operated by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, led by three managing investors. Among them is Oracle, the cloud computing company that will play a central role in hosting and securing TikTok’s US data and algorithm. Oracle’s chairman, Larry Ellison, is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, whose administration helped broker the deal.
The agreement follows years of political tension over TikTok’s presence in the US. Concerns over data security and potential access by the Chinese government led Congress to pass legislation in 2024 mandating a ban unless ByteDance divested its US operations by early 2025. Enforcement of the law was delayed several times before the joint venture was finalised this week.
Under the new arrangement, Oracle will oversee the retraining of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm using existing US user data, with the system hosted within Oracle’s US-based cloud infrastructure. ByteDance retains a minority stake of just under 20%.
Other investors include US private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment fund MGX.
Despite the changes, scrutiny remains. Republican Congressman John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on China, questioned whether the deal fully eliminates Chinese influence over TikTok’s technology and safeguards American user data.
“These are issues that demand clear answers,” he said, adding that the committee would continue its oversight of the agreement.
