4 min read
Under TikTok’s new U.S.-majority ownership structure, the algorithm is no longer just a product feature. It has effectively become a regulated asset.
As per TikTok:
TikTok USDS Joint Venture’s mandate is to secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures. It will safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications. The [US] Joint Venture will retrain, test, and update the content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data. The content recommendation algorithm will be secured in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment.
The majority American owned Joint Venture will operate under defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurances for U.S. users.
The most immediate change is who is allowed to see, touch, train, and modify the recommendation system that powers TikTok’s For You feed. Under the new framework, ByteDance retains a minority stake, but algorithmic governance shifts to a U.S.-controlled operational layer, with strict guardrails on foreign access. This means Chinese engineers can no longer directly deploy updates, tune ranking models, or experiment on U.S. user data in the way they historically could.
Here are other notable changes for TikTok users in the U.S. in the coming months:
- First, TikTok US is now permitted to collect more granular location information when users have location services enabled. Earlier versions of the policy explicitly limited this capability to better comply with U.S. privacy expectations and regulatory standards.
- Second, the revised policy introduces explicit tracking of user interactions with in-app AI features. This includes prompts, questions, uploaded files, and other inputs shared with AI tools. While such language is increasingly common for AI-enabled services, it was notably absent from TikTok’s earlier disclosures.
- Third, TikTok US now states that it may use activity and engagement data generated within the app to support advertising beyond the platform itself, allowing expanded ad targeting in collaboration with external partners.
There is a chance that recommendation models may become more conservative, more explainable, and slower to evolve, trading some experimentation speed for regulatory safety. Engagement-driven amplification may also be balanced more heavily against risk signals, especially around political, health, or civic content.
U.S. ownership does not neuter TikTok’s algorithm completely, but it places it under a microscope. The feed still runs on machine learning, but now every major decision it makes must be defensible not just to users, but to regulators, auditors, and lawmakers watching closely for any sign of hidden influence.
Trump has mentioned before that if he had the chance, he would turn TikTok into “100% MAGA.” There have been ongoing claims that the Chinese government censors certain content on the platform to promote a pro-CCP narrative. However, there’s no solid proof to back this up. Still, cybersecurity experts have expressed their concerns about the app, which is part of what sparked the initial push to ban TikTok in the U.S.
The reason there is a great deal of talk about what the future of TikTok holds in American grasp largely stems from American agencies that have a long history of extensive social media monitoring. According to media and whistleblower reports, the NSA’s PRISM program scooped up vast amounts of user data from platforms like Facebook, Google, and Apple. The ICE is also infamous for running 24/7 real-time surveillance of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and others to support deportations and enforcement. The FBI routinely scans posts for threats, election activity, and counterintelligence, often without formal investigations. The DEA was also reported to covertly monitor racial justice demonstrations in 2020, and post-January 6 efforts expanded domestic extremism tracking online.
