TikTok’s updated privacy policy deepens concerns over user data

As TikTok restructures its U.S. operations under a newly created, majority American-owned joint venture, the company has quietly updated its privacy policy in ways that are reigniting long-standing concerns about how much personal information the platform collects and how that data could be used.

While the ownership deal is designed to address national security fears tied to foreign influence, lawmakers and privacy experts have expressed concerns over TikTok’s expanded data collection practices, including the handling of sensitive personal information such as precise location and immigration or citizenship status.

One of the most significant updates is TikTok’s explicit acknowledgment that it may collect precise location data from users who enable device-level location services.

Earlier U.S. policy language emphasized approximate location derived from IP addresses or SIM data, and TikTok had previously said it did not rely on GPS-level tracking for U.S. users. The revised policy removes that distinction.

Privacy experts have long warned that precise location data is among the most sensitive categories of personal information. When combined with TikTok’s existing behavioral data such as viewing habits, interactions, follows, device identifiers, and inferred interests, location data can produce an unusually detailed portrait of an individual’s life.

More controversially, TikTok’s policy now clearly states that it may collect and process sensitive personal information, including citizenship or immigration status.

The company has said such disclosures are driven in part by U.S. privacy laws that require companies to list categories of data they may handle if users choose to provide them or if the information is inferred.

But civil liberties advocates note that immigration status is not just another demographic attribute. It is among the most legally and socially sensitive forms of personal data in the U.S., carrying heightened risks of discrimination, chilling effects on speech, and potential misuse by government or private actors.

TikTok users may disclose immigration related information directly, such as through profile details, comments, livestreams, private messages, fundraising links, or content discussing visas, asylum, or undocumented status.

More troubling to privacy experts is the role of inference, the ability of large platforms to draw conclusions about a user’s legal status based on language use, networks, location patterns, content engagement, and social connections.

Even if TikTok says it does not provide such information to immigration authorities, the existence of the data itself creates risk, particularly in a political environment where immigration enforcement has increasingly relied on digital information.

The updated policy also explicitly covers interactions with TikTok’s AI-powered tools. Information users submit through AI features – including prompts, uploaded content, and generated responses – may be collected to operate and improve those services.

For users discussing immigration issues, this matters. AI prompts can include highly sensitive questions about visa options, asylum claims, legal exposure, or family status. Treating those interactions as collectible data places some of the most vulnerable populations at greater risk of exposure or misuse.

Lawmakers have emphasized that the deal does not automatically resolve privacy concerns. Members of Congress from both parties have said the joint venture arrangement requires further scrutiny.

“After over a year of Donald Trump illegally extending the TikTok deadline, this TikTok deal raises many more questions than answers,” Sen. Edward J. Markey said in a statement. “Despite my repeated requests for information, the White House has provided virtually no details about this agreement … This lack of transparency reeks.”

Article Topics

behavioral analysis  |  biometric data  |  data privacy  |  device fingerprinting  |  location data  |  social media  |  TikTok  |  U.S. Government