TikTok may allow precise GPS data collection in the US

TikTok’s US joint venture has updated its privacy policy to include the collection of precise location data from American users.

The change follows a deal between TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance and the new US entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which includes investors like Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX.

The updated policy states that location data collection will depend on user settings, and that users can disable location services at any time.

While TikTok already gathers location information via IP address and SIM card, it has not enabled precise GPS data collection in the US, where it is expected to be optional and defaulted off.

The move comes amid ongoing US concerns over data security and efforts to enforce a ban on TikTok unless ByteDance sells its US operations.

🔗 Source: BBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Crucial governance and data-access controls for the new TikTok venture need clarification

The venture’s mandate has been described as protecting U.S. user data, the app, and the recommendation algorithm, yet the governance steps that keep minority owner ByteDance from accessing that data remain unclear.1
The algorithm has been described as being secured in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment, and its retraining is expected to be overseen by Oracle using existing American user data. The limits of Oracle’s control and the separation from TikTok’s global engineering teams have not been confirmed.1
Clearer security and oversight details are required to gauge the risk tied to collecting precise location data from 200 million American users, depending on user settings.1

New location data collection on TikTok could create an opening for adtech and SMB platforms

Tech operators and investors may find new angles in local advertising if TikTok begins collecting precise location data “depending on your settings,” building on the “Nearby Feed” feature already available in the UK and Europe.1
Advertising technology (adtech) firms could create TikTok tools for hyperlocal targeting. No claim is made that TikTok will support options like tracking in-store foot traffic tied to video views.1
Platforms serving small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) could add features that help customers promote nearby events or deals. The text does not say a U.S. location-based feed is launching, and precise location sharing has not yet been enabled. TikTok has not said when the update will reach American users.1