TikTok is finally a US-owned company. Initially, the executive order pushing for TikTok’s ownership change in the US was meant to protect users. However, short video platforms will now potentially collect even more user data than they did before.
The app will collect your exact location, AI interactions such as prompts or uploaded files, and information provided by third parties, essentially to serve you better-tailored ads.
The first executive order regarding the divestment of TikTok was signed by President Donald J. Trump back in 2020, with the reasoning that TikTok automatically captures “vast swaths” of information from its users that the Chinese Communist Party could eventually access and use against the US and its citizens.
It took nearly six years for the TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, in which a group of investors including Oracle holds stakes, to be established. And while the potential danger that the Chinese government might have used collected data for espionage has been largely mitigated, a new reality presents itself.
The data collected by TikTok, while theoretically safe from China’s ruling party, will now be extensively exploited to provide personalized experiences to users – all in favor of maximizing TikTok’s profits.
How many times have you bought something via an ad on social media? For many who aren’t opting out, ads are becoming more personalized and more targeted. Advertisers are able to serve you better ads because of this tracking. Knowing where you reside, how old you are, and what things you’re looking for online, they can serve you an offer you can’t refuse.
But tailored ads are nothing compared to the danger the excessive data collection policy by this now US-owned entity might pose to vulnerable groups in society, such as LGBTQ+ community and immigrants.
So, while TikTok changing hands might be a good thing for national security, the app still poses significant privacy and security issues for its 180+ million users in the US.
