People concerned TikTok is collecting new personal data after Terms of Service change, but it's more complicated than that

The new TikTok Terms of Service change has sparked waves of concern, with people worried the app is suddenly gobbling up more of their personal data.

Social media feeds have been filled with screenshots, threads, memes and panicked posts about what the updated agreement actually means for privacy.

However, the reality behind these worries isn’t quite so simple.

In fact, TikTok’s US operations isn’t even owned by the same corporate entity anymore.

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TikTok was already collecting data before

The latest Terms of Service update comes as TikTok’s US business transitions to TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, a company majority-owned by US investors including Oracle and Silver Lake.

That restructuring was part of a 2024 US law forcing the Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell or face a ban in the country.

The updated ToS explicitly lists sensitive data categories, such as precise location information, gender identity, citizenship status and more.

These were not present in earlier versions, prompting users to believe TikTok is suddenly collecting more information than before.

However, experts and privacy watchers point out that many of these data practices were already part of TikTok’s broader data collection framework.

What changed is that the new terms are written to align with US privacy law, and make certain categories more transparent.

Unlike what many people think, this does not necessarily introduce completely new data collection.

That said, the visibility of those terms, and the mandatory prompt users must accept before continuing to use the app has troubled many.

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The TikTok Terms of Service change has made people more cautious

This latest uproar sits on the shoulders of years of controversy in the US.

The technology giant has long been framed by lawmakers as a national security risk because of its Chinese ownership and extensive data collection practices.

A plethora of bills and executive actions have targeted the app, and most recently, a 2024 ‘divest-or-ban’ law pressured ByteDance to create the new US entity to keep the app alive stateside.

While the US has now approved a deal to satisfy that law, uncertainty and distrust remain high, and people are increasingly more aware of privacy concerns.

Many Americans still view the new TikTok Terms of Service change as a threat to national security and privacy, even as experts argue the situation is more complex than fear-driven headlines suggest.

Of course, not everyone is skeptical of the platform.

After all, TikTok is still immensely popular; where else are you supposed to get life hacks bundled in a short 30-second video?

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