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Who Owns TikTok Now and How Could It Change for US Users?
- On Jan. 22, 2026, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC was established as a majority-U.S.-owned entity with ByteDance retaining less than 20%, and on January 23, 2026, U.S.-based TikTok users saw a mandatory Terms of Service pop-up requiring `Agree` to continue using the app.
- Driven by U.S. national security concerns, an executive order signed in September 2025 established the divest-or-ban framework requiring majority American ownership, brokered to spin out U.S. operations into a U.S.-majority entity.
- Under the refreshed privacy policy, TikTok privacy policy admits it may collect precise geolocation data unless users opt out, scans user-generated content , and collects immigration status and other sensitive personal data.
- Under the new structure, U.S. user data will be stored on Oracle's secure cloud servers and audited by third parties, while a seven-member, majority-American board including TikTok CEO Shou Chew oversees algorithm retraining on U.S. data.
- Some creators have already reacted by deleting accounts, including a comedian with more than 278,000 followers, while DownDetector outage reports peaked at more than 35,000 and creators face unstable earnings under platform rewards program despite $1.3 million EMV shown by Kolsquare.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources74
Leaning Left11Leaning Right7Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Center
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
55% Center
L 28%
C 55%
R 17%
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