US TikTok users rethink app over concerns about privacy and censorship
3 days ago
- #Censorship
- #TikTok
- #Privacy
- TikTok users in the US are reconsidering their use of the platform due to ownership changes and updated terms and conditions.
- Concerns over censorship, privacy, and trust have led some users to delete the app.
- Keara Sullivan, a comedian with over 500,000 followers, credits TikTok for her career success but is stepping away due to recent changes.
- TikTok's new US-based entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture, is majority-owned by US investors, including Oracle and private equity groups.
- ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake in the new entity.
- The app's terms now explicitly mention data collection, including sensitive information like racial origin and sexual orientation.
- Reports of technical issues and content suppression have increased user dissatisfaction.
- Some creators, like Meg Stalter, have deleted TikTok after experiencing censorship of critical content.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an investigation into TikTok for allegedly censoring anti-Trump content.
- TikTok USDS Joint Venture attributed recent technical issues to a data center outage.
- Users have noticed changes in algorithm quality and reduced earnings from the Creator Fund post-blackout.
- Sullivan and others are diversifying their content distribution to avoid reliance on a single platform.