TikTok’s New US Privacy Policy: Precise Location, AI Data, and a Wider Ad Network

TikTok updated its US privacy policy amid its move to a US-majority ownership structure. The app may now collect precise GPS location (if enabled), explicitly logs AI prompts and outputs with metadata, and expands ad targeting beyond the app through its ad network and publisher partners. Users must accept these terms to continue using TikTok.

Key Points

• TikTok’s new US privacy policy allows collection of precise GPS location if users enable location services, reversing its prior US stance.
• AI interactions (prompts, files, outputs) and related metadata are now explicitly logged and associated with user accounts.
• TikTok expands ad targeting beyond its app via the TikTok Ad Network, leveraging data from advertisers, publishers, and measurement partners.
• Users were required to accept the updated terms upon opening the app to continue using TikTok.
• The changes occur under a new US-majority entity (TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, including Oracle) amid government-mandated ownership transition.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment of the Hacker News discussion is predominantly negative, cynical, and critical. Commenters express significant alarm and skepticism regarding TikTok's updated privacy policy and the implications of its new US ownership. There's a strong belief that the changes will likely worsen data privacy for US users, making their information more accessible to the US government. The discussion also reflects widespread frustration with the addictive nature of social media and a sense of resignation about pervasive data collection. While some nuanced viewpoints are presented, the dominant tone is one of warning and critique against both TikTok's practices and the broader landscape of digital surveillance.

In Agreement

• The change to US ownership (TikTok USDS) could actually make data privacy worse for US citizens by granting the US government direct access to user data, potentially for surveillance or targeting dissidents.
• All major social media platforms, including TikTok, are inherently 'brain-rotting addiction machines' designed for exploitation, regardless of ownership, and lead to negative societal impacts.
• The expanded data collection, especially precise location and AI interaction data, is a significant and concerning increase in surveillance capabilities.
• The notion that foreign governments manipulate the public is overblown; internal political figures and issues are often more disruptive.
• Social media users face a genuine challenge with platform addiction, which isn't easily solved by simply telling people to 'quit'.
• The perceived 'addictiveness' of social media is not always a choice; it's engineered, making it hard to stop.

Opposed

• Hacker News and Reddit are distinct from 'social media' platforms like TikTok because they lack personalized algorithmic feeds, friend networks, and direct messaging, focusing instead on topic-based discussion.
• Many social media users derive practical, non-addictive value from platforms for news, entertainment, and communication.
• The collection of precise location data and AI interactions, while concerning, is not novel; many other apps have been collecting similar data for years.
• A user's TikTok feed is a reflection of their own engagement and preferences, implying that the algorithm 'tells on yourself' and content quality is somewhat user-driven.
• The national security argument against TikTok was largely a pretext; the real goal was about data access and control, not genuine security.
• The solution to 'surveillance advertising' and social media issues is not simple individual action like 'quitting'; it requires systemic changes.