TikTok’s New Owners: How Your Feed Will Change

A major shift in TikTok’s ownership within the United States is now complete, setting the stage for potential transformations in how the popular app operates for American users. A consortium of investors, including Silver Lake, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, has finalized a multi-billion dollar deal to establish a new U.S.-based entity for the platform. This move creates a separate corporate structure for American operations, introducing a fresh team of executives to steer its future.

The most immediate sign of this change for users is an updated terms of service agreement. While some sections have sparked concern, a closer look reveals that many of the data collection practices highlighted are not new. The core question is how this corporate restructuring will ultimately influence the app’s functionality and the content that appears on user screens.

Leadership now falls to a group of American executives, with Adam Presser, formerly TikTok’s global head of operations, taking the role of CEO for the U.S. venture. Will Farrell, previously head of security for TikTok’s U.S. arm, becomes the chief security officer. Notably, Shou Zi Chew remains the global CEO under ByteDance and will hold a seat on the new U.S. board alongside six other American directors from the investing firms.

For the average user, the experience should remain seamless. You will not need to download a separate application; updates will occur automatically. The company states the U.S. version will maintain “interoperability” with the global platform, allowing American creators to be discovered worldwide and users to access international content. However, a significant technical shift is underway: the U.S. algorithm will be retrained and updated using American user data. This process, intended to address longstanding data security and propaganda concerns, means the “For You” feed could evolve, though the specifics and timeline of these changes are not yet public.

The revised terms of service do introduce some modifications. The app will now request permission to collect your precise geolocation, rather than an approximate one. A new section also addresses the collection of data from interactions with AI features, including prompts and generated responses. Other aspects, such as the collection of sensitive demographic information or data sharing in response to legal requests, were already present in the previous policy.

Content moderation enters a new era under this arrangement. Oracle assumes responsibility for U.S. security, data privacy, and the algorithm’s oversight. The new entity claims authority over trust and safety policies, pledging to safeguard the American content ecosystem. While no specific policy changes have been announced, the political leanings of the new ownership group have sparked speculation. Given that entities supportive of former President Donald Trump now hold substantial influence, observers question whether the platform’s stance on moderating hate speech, election misinformation, and other contentious material could shift.

Reactions to the deal emphasize the high stakes of transferring control over a major communication platform. Advocacy groups warn that handing influence to a new consortium with its own motivations could reshape online discourse, drawing parallels to other social media ownership changes. The move has also prompted scrutiny from lawmakers, who are calling for congressional investigation to ensure the arrangement genuinely protects national security without unnecessarily restricting the service.

The fundamental uncertainty lies in how these structural and leadership changes will affect the platform’s culture. The formula for what goes viral is now under the guidance of a different set of stakeholders. Whether this group will leverage its influence to advance external agendas or maintain the platform’s existing character is a pivotal question that only time will answer.

(Source: The Verge)