TikTok uninstalls are up 150% following U.S. joint venture

In a notable shift, TikTok has experienced a dramatic rise in app uninstalls following its announcement of a new joint venture to manage its U.S. operations. Recent data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower indicates that the daily average of uninstalls in the United States has surged nearly 150% over the past five days, compared to the previous three months. The company revealed last Thursday that it had established a joint venture aimed at ensuring the continuity of the popular video-sharing platform under American leadership. Adam Presser, who previously served as TikTok's head of operations, was appointed as the CEO of this new entity. However, skepticism among users has grown, particularly after they were prompted to accept an updated privacy policy on Thursday. Many took to social media to express their concerns over the policy's language, which details the types of data TikTok might collect. This includes sensitive information such as racial or ethnic background, sexual orientation, and financial status. Despite the uproar, it's important to note that this language does not appear to be new, as an archived version of the policy from August 2024 contains similar provisions. This wave of concern seems to have influenced user sentiment towards the app, contributing to the spike in uninstalls. Influencer Dre Ronayne, who had a substantial following of nearly 400,000 on TikTok, shared her decision to delete her account, stating, "If I can delete my biggest platform because their terms of agreement and censorship have gotten out of control, so can you!" Moreover, several creators have reported technical difficulties while using the app, including issues with video uploads and outages. Nadya Okamoto, a prominent TikTok creator with over 4 million followers, noted the lack of communication regarding the implications of the joint venture for creators. "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," she remarked, sharing her struggles with uploading videos. An official account linked to the TikTok joint venture acknowledged the service disruptions, attributing them to a power outage at a U.S. data center. They expressed their commitment to resolving the issue swiftly. Interestingly, despite the increase in uninstalls, TikTok's overall active user levels in the U.S. remain stable compared to the previous week. In contrast, competing platforms have seen a notable uptick in interest, with U.S. downloads for apps like UpScrolled skyrocketing over tenfold, while Skylight Social and Rednote experienced increases of 919% and 53%, respectively. TikTok has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the recent situation.