Fears about TikTok’s policy changes point to a deeper problem in the tech industry

Following the app’s sale, the company’s updated privacy policy and terms of service set off alarm bells. The reaction shows Big Tech has lost the public’s trust.

By: Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 6, 2026

Words: 1,119

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder

A little over a year after TikTok temporarily went dark in the United States and users were greeted with a message explaining that “a law banning TikTok has been enacted,” those same U.S. users opened the app to find a pop-up message requiring them to agree to new terms before they could continue scrolling.

The new terms of service and privacy policy went into effect on …

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