"The first few days of TikTok's new ownership have been chaotic. Over the weekend, TikTok ownership changed hands from Chinese company ByteDance to a consortium of majority American companies known as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. As ownership transitioned, users almost immediately experienced technical issues, with thousands of outages reported on DownDetector and creators saying their monetization tools disappeared. A new terms of service greeted users on January 23, with Wired reporting the now U.S.-owned app could potentially be collecting more data about its users than previous ownership, including precise location tracking."
"And the news creators who were struggling with the platform' s inconsistent moderation worried the app's issues suggested it was adopting an even more rigid stance on moderating content. A newly created X account for TikTok USDS Joint Venture states the platform's services are struggling due to a "power outage at a U.S. data center," so the technical issues are likely not the new norm. But will the moderation and surveillance problems persist with TikTok, and if so, what does it mean for creators and brands who once relied on the platform for revenue, and more importantly, to share crucial news updates?"
"Over the weekend, TikTok creators reported that their Creator Rewards (the monetization program for the platform) tab was gone and/or glitching. "The money in TikTok creator rewards is gone!!" wrote TikToker OmarsBigSister on X "I had at least $180 YESTERDAY." Other creators replied to that post, stating that they too were missing money from their Creator Rewards program. A subreddit dedicated to TikTok monetization is filled with creators worried about their viewership and monetization, as well. Another creator claimed they had just signed their first brand deal and now are "not even sure [they] have a platform anymore.""
Ownership of TikTok moved from ByteDance to TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, a majority-American consortium, and users immediately reported technical outages and missing monetization tools. A new terms of service introduced on January 23 raised possibilities of increased data collection, including precise location tracking. Creators expressed alarm about disappearing Creator Rewards balances and potential stricter moderation, citing inconsistent past enforcement and fears of reduced platform reliability. A TikTok USDS X account blamed a U.S. data center power outage for service issues, but creators and brands remain uncertain about ongoing moderation, surveillance, and revenue risks.
#tiktok-ownership-change #creator-monetization #data-collection #content-moderation #service-outages
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