TikTok US for users to “get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events.” This is done by leveraging the exact location of people that are using the app and comes after a change in the platform’s terms of service that says the . The platform’s terms of service used to note that it could collect approximate locations, but the looks to have changed that to precise locations.
This is an opt-in feature, despite the app potentially collecting this data whether the feed is activated or not. The feed is set to “off” by default, but can be changed via a trip to settings.
The local feed doesn’t show your neighbors or people you might vibe with to help solve that pesky loneliness epidemic. Instead, it prioritizes local businesses and will highlight nearby events, shopping suggestions and restaurants to try.
TikTok
This looks to be part of a broader push to attract small businesses to the app, both as content producers and as advertisers. , this could also help insulate the company from future regulation and increased scrutiny, as it could point to the that rely on its services.
TikTok states that over 7.5 million businesses use the platform in the US to reach customers. However, this data is sourced from an Oxford Economics report from before a group of investors .
Supporting local businesses is a noble goal, but users will have to consider whether or not the value of a dedicated feed is worth the privacy risk. Oracle is a prominent investor in the new American TikTok, and company founder Larry Ellison once said “citizens will be on their best behavior” .
This local feed isn’t exactly a new idea. TikTok has been trying something similar in Europe since the tail-end of last year. It has shown up in the UK, France, Italy and Germany.
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