TikTok US for users to “get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events.” This is done by using the exact location of people using the app and comes after the change in the platform’s terms of service states that the . The platform’s terms of service are used to note that it can collect approximate locations, but the seems to have changed that to the appropriate locations.

This is an opt-in feature, although the app may collect this data whether the feed is activated or not. The feed is set to “off” by default, but can be changed through a trip to the settings.

The local feed doesn’t show your neighbors or people you can listen to to help solve the dreaded epidemic of loneliness. Instead, it prioritizes local businesses and highlights nearby events, shopping suggestions and restaurants to try.

It appears to be part of a broader push to attract small businesses to the app, both as content producers and as advertisers. it also helps to insulate the company from future regulation and further scrutiny, as it can focus on who rely on its services.

It was announced on TikTok over 7.5 million businesses use the US platform to reach customers. However, this data comes from a report by Oxford Economics from the front of a group of investors .

Supporting local businesses is a noble goal, but users should consider whether the value of a dedicated feed is worth the risk to privacy or not. Oracle is a famous investor in the new American TikTok, and the company’s founder Larry Ellison once said that “citizens are on their best behavior” .

This local feed is not exactly a new idea. TikTok has been trying something similar in Europe since the tail end of last year. It is shown in the UK, France, Italy and Germany.