The U.S. version of TikTok is being updated with a new community-focused "Local Feed," according to a blog post shared by the TikTok USDS Joint Venture.
The Local Feed is designed to let TikTok users "discover and connect with content, businesses, and services" wherever they are. Available from a tab on the TikTok home screen, the feed features content related to travel, events, restaurants, and shopping, plus posts from nearby small businesses and local creators.
TikTok U.S. says that posts are selected based on location, the topic of the content, and when the content was posted. TikTok users who want access to the Local Feed will need to turn on precise location.
"This approach is consistent with how many modern apps use location today and gives people the choice to enable it when they want more relevant, local experiences, while keeping them in control," reads the blog post.
Precise Location is off by default, and the feature is opt-in with location only relayed when the app is in active use. Location data is "protected in the TikTok USDS JV secure environment."
TikTok U.S. says that it wants to "make sure TikTok is useful, locally relevant, and trusted." A similar "Nearby Feeds" feature rolled out for TikTok users in Europe back in December.
TikTok's U.S. operations were transferred to a majority American-owned TikTok USDS venture in late January, and the transition hasn't gone smoothly. TikTok users were unable to upload videos and had posts flagged as ineligible for recommendation, an issue that U.S. TikTok said was due to a power outage at a data center.
TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is 80.1 percent owned by U.S. and global investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. The three companies each own 15 percent as managing investors, and other U.S. stakeholders include the Dell Family Office and affiliates of Susquehanna International Group. TikTok parent company ByteDance continues to hold a 19.9 percent stake.
A seven-member majority-American board of directors is operating the U.S. version of TikTok, with Adam Presser, TikTok's former global head of operations serving as CEO.
Under the agreement, the venture handles U.S. data protection, content moderation, and algorithm security. TikTok's recommendation algorithm is being retrained and updated on U.S. user data, and it has been secured in Oracle's cloud environment.
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