As part of the transition to the new US joint ownership, TikTok has updated its privacy policy, alerting users through an in-app message. While TikTok was collecting sensitive information even before the update, users are raising concerns over the potential consequences this might have in the US’s current political climate.

The new privacy policy comes after TikTok was compelled to transition from Chinese control to an American-majority corporate entity in order to continue operating in the US. The app is now owned by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which is made up of a group of primarily American investors, including software company Oracle, which is run by Republican and longtime Trump ally Larry Ellison.

After changes to the privacy policy were announced on the app, TikTok users in the US were alarmed by the document’s language regarding the collection of sensitive information. Specifically, the policy states that TikTok could process users’ information regarding “racial or ethnic origin, national origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical health diagnosis, sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status, or financial information.”

Such language appeared in the previous privacy policy, as well as in corresponding documents of other social media apps. Some companies have more high-level explanations about the type of sensitive information they collect, while TikTok has listed out the precise categories for additional clarity and likely for litigation purposes.

While such language appeared on the previous privacy policy, it is no surprise that users have raised concerns over the potential repercussions of collecting such sensitive information in Trump’s America. In recent months, the escalation of immigration enforcement by ICE has sparked widespread protests across the country, leading to thousands of arrests and the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minnesota.

Another policy update that has sparked concerns is that the app will now “collect precise location data, depending on your settings”. Before the change, TikTok already collected information on “approximate” location data based on a user’s SIM card or IP address.

The “precise” location sharing has not yet been enabled in the US and is expected to be an option which is turned off by default, and people will have to opt in with a pop-up message if they choose to do so. Similar data is already collected in the EU and UK as part of a new “Nearby Feed” feature that allows users to find events in their vicinity.

TikTok has also updated the policy on AI, and now collects users’ interactions with any of the AI tools available in the app, including prompts and the AI-generated outputs. Oracle, one of the three managing investors of TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, is heavily investing in AI infrastructure.