• Daily uninstalls increased nearly 150% in five days following US joint venture announcement
• Creators with hundreds of thousands of followers abandoning platform over privacy concerns
• Rival apps see massive download spikes as users seek alternatives

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — TikTok users are deleting their accounts at unprecedented rates following the platform’s transfer to American ownership, sparking concerns about data privacy policies and content moderation under the new structure. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reports daily uninstalls surged nearly 150% over five days compared to the previous three months.

Privacy Policy Sparks User Backlash

The exodus intensified after TikTok users were prompted to accept an updated privacy policy on January 22, 2026. The policy explicitly lists sensitive data collection including racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, transgender or nonbinary status, citizenship, and immigration status.

“If I can delete my biggest platform because their terms of agreement and censorship have gotten out of control, so can you!” creator Dre Ronayne posted on Threads after deleting her account with nearly 400,000 followers.

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Privacy experts note much of the concerning language existed in previous versions dating back to August 2024. However, the forced acknowledgment popup coincided with heightened immigration enforcement activities, creating a perfect storm of user anxiety.

Creators Report Technical Issues And Uncertainty

Beyond privacy concerns, creators report widespread platform outages and upload failures. Nadya Okamoto, a creator with over 4 million followers, told CNBC she couldn’t upload videos for 24 hours.

“That’s why there is so much paranoia, because we’re all kind of looking at this platform and we just don’t know what’s happening,” Okamoto said.

An X account associated with the TikTok joint venture blamed technical issues on a power outage at a US data center, though many users remain skeptical about the timing and nature of the problems.

Rival Platforms See Massive Growth

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While active user levels remained relatively flat, competing apps capitalized on TikTok’s turmoil. Sensor Tower data shows UpScrolled downloads increased more than tenfold compared to the prior week, while Skylight Social rose 919% and Chinese-owned Rednote climbed 53%.

New Ownership Structure

The TikTok USDS Joint Venture was established to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order. Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX hold a combined 45% stake, with ByteDance retaining 19.9% ownership. Adam Presser, formerly TikTok’s head of operations, serves as CEO of the new venture.

The platform’s valuation is estimated at approximately $14 billion, with the company claiming 200 million US users and 7.5 million businesses on the platform.

Will TikTok’s new American ownership structure rebuild user trust, or will the exodus accelerate as privacy concerns persist?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CNBC’s reporting on TikTok uninstalls, Fortune’s coverage of privacy policy concerns, IBTimes UK analysis of data collection, GBlock’s privacy policy examination, Yahoo Finance coverage of the deal structure, and WebProNews reporting on the user exodus.

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