TikTok updated their Terms of Service on January 22, 2026 and will now potentially be collecting more data from its users, including their precise location, financial information, and driver's license number.

You may have noticed a pop-up appear in TikTok recently asking you to agree to their updated Terms of Service. Per that notification, changes include:

• "Updated corporate entity."
• "New types of location information (including device geolocation) we may collect from you, with your permission."
• "How we use your information we have collected or will collect to show you ads outside TikTok."

Prior to revised Terms of Service the app did not collect user's precise, GPS-derived location, but now if you grant TikTok permission to use your phone's location service, the app may collect more detailed information. All social media applications collect a variety of user data, there is concern however about the type and amount of data TikTok is now collecting.

A key revision appears in the "Information We Collect" tab of the privacy policy under the "Information You Provide" section:

"Information You Provide may include sensitive personal information, as defined under applicable state privacy laws, such as information from users under the relevant age threshold, information you disclose in survey responses or in your user content 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. For example, we may process your financial information in order to provide you the goods or services you request from us or your driver’s license number in order to verify your identity. We may also collect precise location data, depending on your settings and as explained below. We process such sensitive personal information in accordance with applicable law, such as for permitted purposes under the California Consumer Privacy Act."

Additionally, if you are an iPhone user and go to your phone's settings, TikTok removed the ability to toggle location on and off, and can still track your phone's location.

"In regions where your device's Location Services are not available for the TikTok app, or when you turn Location Service off: We'll continue to estimate other approximate location information based on your device or network information, such as SIM card region, IP address, and device system settings."

What are your options moving forward?

• If you have additional questions, you you can read the updated privacy policy in its entirety here.
• If you have not yet agreed to the updated Terms of Service, you can review the changes and decide to:
  • Agree to the terms and carry on with your account
  • Delete your account prior to agreeing to the updated terms. In order to delete your account without agreeing, follow the steps below:
    1. Turn on Airplane Mode on your cellphone.
    2. Open TikTok and click on your profile
    3. Go to your Settings and scroll down to Delete Account
    4. Then turn airplane mode off
    5. Delete your account
• If you have already accepted the updated Terms of Service you can:
  • Review the updates more closely and continue on with your account
  • Review the updates and decide to delete your account, in which case you can:
    1. Open TikTok and click on your profile
    2. Go to your Settings and scroll down to Delete Account
    3. Delete your account

Note: GAAR does not currently have a TikTok account, your association data is not being collected by TikTok.