TikTok Users Alarmed by ‘Immigration Data’ in Updated Privacy Policy, But the Language Isn’t New—What It Means
TikTok’s recently updated U.S. privacy policy has triggered widespread concern and calls for a boycott among users, as the document now explicitly lists “citizenship or immigration status” as a type of sensitive information the platform may process.
The alarm was likely intensified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) recent expansion of enforcement activities in Minnesota, alongside the fatal shooting of 37-year-old protester Alex Pretti.
However, experts suggest that the specific language regarding immigration appears to stem more from timing and direct legal phrasing rather than a new initiative to collect such data.
Paromita Pain, a professor of global media at the University of Nevada, Reno, stated that the exact wording concerning “immigration status” was present in several previous versions of TikTok’s policy, including the one from August 19, 2024.
Pain explained that the “[concern] appears to be resurfacing now because TikTok forced users to accept an updated policy after its U.S. ownership and operational restructuring, which drew attention to sections many people had never read.”
The explicit language on “immigration status” is connected to state legislation such as the California Privacy Rights Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act, which aim to grant the state’s residents greater control over how businesses utilize their “sensitive personal information.” A bill signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, effective in 2024, expanded this category to include “.”
Nevertheless, TikTok’s new policy asserts that the company will process this sensitive information “in accordance with applicable law,” specifically citing the California Consumer Privacy Act as an example of the regulations governing this process.
While the wording about immigration status may not be new, Pain noted that other aspects of the company’s privacy policies have changed. Under the revised U.S. privacy policy, TikTok now states it can collect either a user’s approximate or precise location if the user grants permission.
Previously, the app gathered location data via users’ SIM cards or IP addresses. Yet, at least one earlier version of the app, according to its 2024 privacy policy, did not collect GPS-based location information: “Current versions of the app do not collect precise or approximate GPS information from U.S. users,” the old policy .
The company intends to roll out a new feature that will allow U.S. users to opt into location sharing with TikTok. This feature has no confirmed launch date, and sharing location data will be entirely optional and opt-in.
TikTok did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment.
Privacy Backlash
Even if some of the immigration-related changes are not novel, TikTok’s privacy policy update has brought to light the extensive data collection practices of social media platforms.
Other companies, such as , have also faced scandals that have fueled public skepticism regarding how major tech firms handle personal information. A notable example is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which emerged in 2018. The British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica accessed data from an estimated 87 million users, according to , including Facebook users and their friends who had not consented to such data use, through a third-party application. In 2022, Meta agreed to pay $725 million to settle a class-action privacy lawsuit related to the scandal, without admitting fault. Additionally, in 2019, Meta paid a $5 billion and faced new restrictions for “violating consumers’ privacy,” as reported by the agency.
After U.S. users received an in-app notification about amid changes to , they reacted with posts advocating for a boycott of the application.
Usha Haley, a professor of international business and management at Wichita State University, explained that these fears, particularly concerning the language on immigration and citizenship, were exacerbated by the broader political climate. In Minnesota, thousands of demonstrators have recently protested against expanded federal immigration enforcement in the state, especially after U.S. border patrol agents fatally .
The Trump administration has also, in recent months, intensified its scrutiny of social media activity for specific immigration and travel purposes. A filed in December by U.S. Customs and Border Protection would mandate certain visitors to the U.S. to provide their social media history from the past five years as part of the vetting process for entry into the country.
Haley advised that due to the data collected by TikTok and other social media apps, users should exercise caution about what they post and potentially update their privacy settings to better safeguard their personal data.
“I do think [the TikTok worries] indicate that people are wary of the political climate, of what rights they’re losing, of how much protection they have,” she stated. “And I don’t think that is so unreasonable, given the developments that have taken place recently.”