What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersExpandThe Verge DailyInstallerVerge DealsNotepadOptimizerRegulatorThe StepbackArchivesStoreSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feedComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportWhat TikTok’s new owners mean for your feedThe US version of TikTok is now under the control of Larry Ellison’s Oracle and a number of investment firms.The US version of TikTok is now under the control of Larry Ellison’s Oracle and a number of investment firms.by Emma RothCloseEmma RothNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Emma RothJan 23, 2026, 7:10 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIllustration by Nick Barclay / The VergePart OfTikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the USsee all updates Emma RothCloseEmma RothPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.TikTok is officially under new ownership in the US, and that could spell big changes for the video-sharing app. On January 22nd, ByteDance – TikTok’s Chinese parent company — and a group of investors closed a $14 billion deal to spin off the platform’s US operations, introducing a new slate of American executives.The Silver Lake investment firm, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, and the cloud giant Oracle will each have 15 percent stakes in the new TikTok US Data Security (USDS) Joint Venture LLC. ByteDance will still hold a 19.9 percent stake in the company, in line with the divest-or-ban law that went into effect last year — though the deal was pushed through with help from President Donald Trump in persistent disregard of the law.The most visible change so far has been a new terms of service, which is popping up for US-based users hopping onto TikTok. The new terms have some people worried, but some of the sections raising concerns aren’t actually new.Here’s how the joint venture will impact the app and your feed.Who is in charge of TikTok now?Adam Presser, TikTok’s former global head of operations and trust and safety, will serve as the CEO of the US-based company, while Will Farrell, who previously worked as the head of security and privacy for TikTok’s US arm, will become the joint venture’s chief security officer.Shou Zi Chew will remain the CEO of TikTok’s global operations under ByteDance, and will get a seat on the US-based joint venture’s board of directors, joined by six other Americans:Egon Durban, Silver Lake’s co-CEOKenneth Glueck, Oracle’s executive vice president in the office of the CEODavid Scott, the chief strategy and safety officer at MGXMark Dooley, the managing director at investment firm SusquehannaRaul Fernandez, president and CEO of enterprise IT company DXC TechnologyTimothy Dattels, senior advisor to private equity firm TPG GlobalHow does TikTok US interface with TikTok Global now?You don’t need to download a new app in order to gain access to the US version of the app; it should update automatically. The new app shouldn’t affect your ability to see content from other countries, at least according to TikTok’s USDS website.The joint venture says the app will maintain “interoperability” with the TikTok used by the rest of the world, while providing users with a “global TikTok experience.” The same goes for US-based creators, as the site adds that TikTok US will ensure users can discover them “on a global scale.”TikTok’s US arm will, however, use a new version of the platform’s algorithm that the joint venture will “retrain, test, and update” using US user data — a move meant to assuage fears that the Chinese government could push propaganda through it. Beyond that, we don’t know much else about how your For You feed will differ from those in other countries. We also don’t know how long the algorithm will take to retrain, and when it will launch.Does a US takeover change TikTok’s terms?One of the biggest changes to TikTok’s terms of service and privacy policy is that it will now collect your precise geolocation as opposed to just your approximate location — but only if you give the app permission to do so.The updated terms also add a new section about collecting information from your AI interactions, “including prompts, questions, files, and other types of information that you submit to our AI-powered interfaces, as well as the responses they generate.” Though some users are calling attention to other areas of the agreement, the rest remains largely unchanged when compared to its previous policy, which was last updated on August 19th, 2024.For example, text about TikTok collecting information that you provide about “your 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” was also present in the previous terms. Both terms also say the app will collect your location information and the messages you send on the platform, and that TikTok could share your information in response to subpoenas, court orders, and law enforcement requests.How is content moderation going to change?The deal puts Oracle in charge of TikTok’s security and data privacy in the US, as well as the algorithm. TikTok’s USDS website also says the newly formed company will “safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem and have decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and content moderation.”With TikTok USDS in charge of what users see on the platform, some users have raised concerns about censorship, especially when it comes to content related to Palestine. Larry Ellison, who cofounded Oracle, has cozied up to President Donald Trump, joining a $500 billion initiative to build massive data centers in the US. Ellison also has ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and donated $16.6 million to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces in 2017, as noted by The Intercept.RelatedTikTok is just another tool in Larry Ellison’s quest to run the worldWhat is the correct amount of pro-Palestine content?Though TikTok USDS doesn’t provide any specifics surrounding content moderation, multiple social media companies have modified their policies to be more Trump-friendly over the past year, and the company’s new leadership could change things too. With a Trump ally owning a large chunk of TikTok, the US-based company may take Trump’s enthusiasm for censorship and distaste for content moderation into consideration. TikTok’s existing community guidelines ban hate speech, misinformation, and content that may mislead voters or interfere with elections — all of which could be contentious under a Trump ally.How are people reacting?Many users say they are deleting TikTok after seeing the terms of service pop-up, with some citing the “fascist owners” and links to Ellison. (Hard data on whether people are actually leaving is tougher to come by.) TikTokers are concerned about the changes to the platform’s algorithm and the potential influence of the Trump administration. Some creators are even calling on others to block Oracle’s TikTok account, as well as informing users how to disable geotracking.But perhaps the bigger question is how all of these changes will impact the tone of TikTok and the kinds of videos that succeed on the platform. The ingredients that make a video go viral now belong to a completely different party — whether they use that power to further an outside agenda remains to be seen.Kate Ruane, the director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, urges TikTok’s new owners in the US to remain transparent about their plans. “This deal is concerning because it hands control over speech on TikTok to a new consortium of investors with their own motivations for shaping online discourse,” Ruane says. “Anyone who witnessed the change in ownership of Twitter, now X, knows that ownership matters.”The joint venture is catching the attention of lawmakers, too, with Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) saying the deal “raises more questions than answers.” Markey is also calling on Congress to investigate the deal and “ensure that any arrangement truly protects national security while keeping TikTok online.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Emma RothCloseEmma RothNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Emma RothCreatorsCloseCreatorsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All CreatorsPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyPoliticsClosePoliticsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PoliticsReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechTikTokCloseTikTokPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TikTokMore in: TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the USThe TikTok deal is done, finallyRichard Lawler1:01 AM UTCThe TikTok deal could finally close this week.Terrence O'BrienJan 22The TikTok US sale is finally happeningEmma RothDec 18, 2025Most PopularMost PopularClaude Code is suddenly everywhere inside MicrosoftEpic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services dealSony announces its first turntables in yearsTesla finally kills Autopilot in a bid to boost FSD subscriptionsThe state attorneys general are as mad as you areThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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TikTok’s new ownership represents a significant shift for the platform, primarily driven by a complex interplay of legal pressures and strategic maneuvering. The core of the change stems from the divest-or-ban law enacted in the United States, intended to address security concerns surrounding the Chinese parent company, ByteDance. This law forced ByteDance to spin off its US operations, leading to the formation of the TikTok US Data Security (USDS) Joint Venture LLC, a partnership involving Oracle, Silver Lake Investment Management, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX. This arrangement places Oracle firmly in control of TikTok’s security and data privacy within the US, a move largely intended to alleviate governmental anxieties.

At the helm of this new venture is Adam Presser, formerly TikTok’s global head of operations and trust & safety, now serving as CEO. He is supported by Will Farrell, previously the head of security and privacy for TikTok’s US arm, appointed as the joint venture’s chief security officer. Crucially, Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok’s global operations, maintains her position, alongside six other American board members, including Egon Durban, Silver Lake’s co-CEO, Kenneth Glueck, Oracle’s executive vice president in the office of the CEO, and David Scott, the chief strategy and safety officer at MGX. This layered structure reflects the intricate relationship between the original TikTok and its new security oversight.

The operational interface between the global and US-based TikTok entities is designed to maintain “interoperability” according to the USDS website. This suggests users should continue accessing the app as they know it, despite the fundamental shift in control. However, the USDS intends to “retrain, test, and update” the algorithm used to determine the “For You” feed, using exclusively US user data. This is a calculated risk – aimed at tackling concerns about potential manipulation or censorship through the algorithm, though the extent to which this will truly safeguard against external influence remains uncertain.

The changes extend to the terms of service, which now incorporate significantly more detailed geolocation tracking than previously. Users are now required to grant permission for precise location data collection, alongside tracking of AI interactions - including prompts, questions, files, and responses generated by AI interfaces. This expanded data collection raises privacy concerns, prompting scrutiny from user groups and regulators. Despite these changes, many sections of the terms remain largely unchanged compared to August 19th, 2024, reflecting the extent to which the core aspects of the agreement were already in place.

Perhaps the most significant and contentious aspect of this transformation revolves around content moderation. Oracle now assumes responsibility for all aspects of community guidelines enforcement, elevating concerns about potential bias and censorship, particularly given Larry Ellison’s close ties to President Donald Trump. Ellison’s involvement in a $500 billion data center initiative and his previous financial support for the Israel Defense Forces further fuel speculation about potential political influence on TikTok’s content policies. The potential for the platform’s algorithm to be shaped by a Trump ally remains a key point of contention.

The legal ramifications are equally complex. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) has expressed concerns, calling for a thorough investigation and ensuring that the agreement truly protects national security while allowing TikTok to remain operational. Many users are reacting with a combination of apprehension and action, with some contemplating deletion of the app entirely, and others taking steps to disable location tracking.

The shift has also triggered broader discussions about the role of data ownership and the influence of large tech companies in shaping online discourse. Kate Ruane, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, cautioned that the deal’s implications are concerning, emphasizing the importance of transparency regarding ownership and its goals for influencing online discourse. The precedent set by this deal—with Twitter (now X) also undergoing a significant ownership change—signals a potential trend of powerful tech companies wielding increased control over information flow, prompting further scrutiny of platform governance.