"After years of an on-again-off-again looming ban, TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance announced on Thursday it had established TikTok USDS Joint Venture to secure U.S. user data, preserving app access for its 200 million American users. But, what seemed like an end to a long and uncertain saga has instead been met by outrage and disruptions. Just days into the completion of TikTok's ownership transition on January 22, American users started reporting service disruptions and issues regarding uploading and viewing videos, Wired reported."
"TikTok's U.S. investor consortium- which includes Larry Ellison's Oracle-has raised eyebrows as users encountered a new privacy policy which includes more data collection including location data, advertising data, and AI interactions. Users were also alarmed over wording related to the tracking of race, sexual and gender orientation, citizenship, and mental health diagnoses, however, these terms were actually not a new addition to the privacy policy."
"UpScrolled, founded by the Sydney-based founder Issam Hijazi, saw 41,000 downloads between Thursday and Saturday, a 2,850 percent increase in daily download according to TechCrunch. The app, which offers features reminiscent of Instagram and X has climbed to 2nd place on the App Store's free apps, and first place in the social networking category. Trying to set itself apart from the now overly tailored algorithm-based social media platforms, UpScrolled claims to stand against shadowbanning, and offer fair algorithms."
ByteDance established TikTok USDS Joint Venture to secure U.S. user data and preserve access for 200 million American users. Days after the ownership transition, American users reported service disruptions, uploading and viewing issues, and lower engagement and views. Some users alleged intentional censorship of content related to ICE raids in Minnesota; TikTok attributed disruptions to a power outage and denied those allegations. A U.S. investor consortium including Oracle coincided with a privacy policy that raised concerns about expanded data collection such as location, advertising, and AI interactions. The disruptions and privacy concerns drove many users to alternatives, with UpScrolled recording a major surge in downloads and App Store rankings.
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