Since early January 2026, the majority of the fan favorite social media app, Tiktok, is now owned by the US. Formerly a Chinese owned and operated company, they received backlash across the globe due to the extreme conditions needed in order to download and operate the app. Following the tiktok ban of 2025, a term has been made that shifted the ownership to the states. Since then, the algorithm and ownership rights have been changed and made safe and more America, for the better or worse.
One of the biggest reasons the US wanted ownership and passed the tiktok ban was because of the influence the previous owners had over the users technology and private data. The terms and conditions imposed by the Chinese required that anyone who wanted to download or use the app had to virtually yield all privacy rights to the owners, offering up their data and privacy rights. This became a major issue when many influential people began to argue that the owners of tiktok could steal information from important figures in the US government. Those of high power with confidential records on their phone were scared that the company owners could use tiktok to find other data about American affairs. This led to the tiktok ban of January 19th 2025, in which the app was removed from all app stores and the content was banned. However, because of the many users in America, they worked out a deal that would shift the ownership, and tiktok was restored to doom scrollers across the country.
In a compromise for the concern for national security, ownership now officially has transferred to many largely backed companies in the US. Many people that had refrained from downloading Tiktok now feel comfortable to use it. “I wasn’t really worried about anyone stealing my data, because I don’t really have anything that interesting. [Now that America owns tiktok] I guess it makes me feel safer to use the app,” says sophomore Reem Khalil. The transfer in ownership is supposedly going to keep our data safe and make scrolling the app more controlled and hindered to personal interests. The new tiktok security system will regulate the algorithm, and provide relevant, fact checked, cleaner videos for everyone to watch. Many parents now feel comfortable with letting their children download and use the app. Samantha Jacobs, sophomore, speaks on this. “The whole reason my parents let me get tiktok is because they think it’s safe now that the U.S. owns it,” she states.
Tiktok users haven’t seen much of a shift on their feed yet, and many of them hope that there won’t be. Although the previous company owners can no longer steal our data, who is to say that the current owners can’t? Scrolling and making a digital footprint on any social media platform is risky on its own, and each user must decide for themselves what presence they want to have online. Whether their interests align with others or not, the truth is that social media is dangerous in itself, no matter what you choose to do.
