TikTok's New Owners: What It Means for Your Feed
The US version of TikTok is now under the control of Larry Ellison’s Oracle and a number of investment firms. The deal, which closed on January 22nd, marks a significant change in the platform's ownership structure and raises concerns about the potential influence of its new leaders.
As part of the agreement, ByteDance – TikTok's Chinese parent company – will retain a 19.9 percent stake in the US-based joint venture, while Oracle will own 15 percent of the company. The Silver Lake investment firm and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will also each hold 15 percent stakes.
The most visible change so far has been the appearance of a new terms of service for US-based users. While some sections have raised concerns, others are not new. The joint venture claims that TikTok's US arm will maintain "interoperability" with the global platform and provide users with a "global TikTok experience."
However, this may not be entirely accurate. With Oracle in charge of security and data privacy in the US, as well as the algorithm, some users are worried about censorship and the potential influence of the Trump administration.
"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," says Kate Ruane, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "Anyone who witnessed the change in ownership of Twitter, now X, knows that ownership matters."
The joint venture's new leadership has also raised concerns about content moderation. While TikTok already has community guidelines that ban hate speech, misinformation, and other types of content, some users fear that these rules may be relaxed or even lifted under a Trump ally.
Many users are deleting TikTok after seeing the terms of service pop-up, with some citing the "fascist owners" and links to Ellison. Others are calling on others to block Oracle's TikTok account and inform users how to disable geotracking.
The impact of these changes will be closely watched by lawmakers, including Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who is calling on Congress to investigate the deal and ensure that any arrangement truly protects national security while keeping TikTok online.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how all of these changes will impact the tone of TikTok and the kinds of videos that succeed on the platform. One thing is certain: the new owners have the power to shape the app in ways that may not align with users' expectations or values.
The US version of TikTok is now under the control of Larry Ellison’s Oracle and a number of investment firms. The deal, which closed on January 22nd, marks a significant change in the platform's ownership structure and raises concerns about the potential influence of its new leaders.
As part of the agreement, ByteDance – TikTok's Chinese parent company – will retain a 19.9 percent stake in the US-based joint venture, while Oracle will own 15 percent of the company. The Silver Lake investment firm and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will also each hold 15 percent stakes.
The most visible change so far has been the appearance of a new terms of service for US-based users. While some sections have raised concerns, others are not new. The joint venture claims that TikTok's US arm will maintain "interoperability" with the global platform and provide users with a "global TikTok experience."
However, this may not be entirely accurate. With Oracle in charge of security and data privacy in the US, as well as the algorithm, some users are worried about censorship and the potential influence of the Trump administration.
"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," says Kate Ruane, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "Anyone who witnessed the change in ownership of Twitter, now X, knows that ownership matters."
The joint venture's new leadership has also raised concerns about content moderation. While TikTok already has community guidelines that ban hate speech, misinformation, and other types of content, some users fear that these rules may be relaxed or even lifted under a Trump ally.
Many users are deleting TikTok after seeing the terms of service pop-up, with some citing the "fascist owners" and links to Ellison. Others are calling on others to block Oracle's TikTok account and inform users how to disable geotracking.
The impact of these changes will be closely watched by lawmakers, including Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who is calling on Congress to investigate the deal and ensure that any arrangement truly protects national security while keeping TikTok online.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how all of these changes will impact the tone of TikTok and the kinds of videos that succeed on the platform. One thing is certain: the new owners have the power to shape the app in ways that may not align with users' expectations or values.
I'm kinda surprised at how fast the ownership of TikTok changed its hands 
. It's like, one minute it's Chinese, next minute it's American... and now it's a whole bunch of different entities 
. What concerns me is that it seems to be more about profit than protecting users' rights 
. I mean, 15% of the company being owned by Oracle and the Trump administration doesn't exactly fill me with confidence 
. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, but one thing's for sure: as a user, you gotta stay vigilant 
TikTok's been such an important platform for creators and kids alike, and now it's being controlled by people who... well, I don't know them very well 
Larry Ellison's got some serious cash behind him, so you have to wonder what his goals are. Is he just gonna let the platform keep on keeping on, or is there some other agenda at play? 
And honestly, the thought of censorship and Trump ally influence makes me nervous 
so like tiktok is under new ownership by oracle and other investors and im literally freaking out about it 
what if they start censoring content or making us delete our videos from the app i know some ppl are saying its nothing to worry about but come on dont we remember what happened with twitter 
now its tiktok and were all just gonna sit back and let them do whatever they want 
i swear ill delete the app if they even think about changing the rules or messing with my videos id rather not be a part of it 
. I'm not sure what's going on but some people are already deleting TikTok and blocking Oracle's account... yeah, it doesn't look good 
.
i mean idk how tiktok will change now but its kinda weird how american food is just so... American 
have u tried those new buffalo wings from buffalo, NY? they r insane! 
like, what's the point? you're gonna switch to instagram and get even more ads 
can't wait to see how they shape the platform to suit their own interests... or lack thereof. 
i mean we all remember the whole twitter situation last year... now oracle is in charge and stuff is about to get real 
anyway, some ppl r already deleting tiktok and blocking oracle's account so here's hoping they know what they're doing 
Just imagine your FYP getting all up in the drama of politics and whatnot 
Oracle's got a new app 
but will it still be fun? 
oracle and investment firms just took over and now we're worried about censorship & trump influence 
. And what's with the "interoperability" crap? Sounds like code for "we'll do whatever Oracle tells us to do 
But what really worries me is how this will affect user experience... will they still be able to share their thoughts and creativity without some corporation controlling them? It's like, what happened to Twitter when they got sold to Elon? Wasn't that a huge change too? Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on this one for sure 
.