TikTok AI training terms matter more than most people realise — especially if you appear on video or upload content for others. If you’ve seen headlines saying “you still own your TikTok videos” and assumed that meant business as usual, pause here.
Yes, you keep copyright in the original video you upload. But under TikTok’s current Terms of Service, that is only half the story — and it’s the less important half.
What has changed, and what most creators and businesses have not clocked, is what TikTok can do with your video, your face, and your voice once you use the app.
You still own your video — but that’s not the risk
This is part of a wider series examining how AI intersects with copyright and data privacy in online work.
TikTok sets this out in its own Terms of Service, which you can read directly on TikTok’s site.
TikTok’s terms now make this explicit:
You retain ownership of the original content you upload.
TikTok does not claim copyright in your raw video.
That sounds reassuring. It’s also where most explainers stop.
The real issue sits in the licence you grant because you use the platform.
The licence you grant TikTok is permanent and unavoidable
By uploading content and using the app, you grant TikTok a licence that is:
Irrevocable — you cannot withdraw it later
Perpetual — it has no end date
Worldwide — it applies globally
Royalty-free — you are not paid
Non-exclusive — you can still use your content elsewhere
So far, this still sounds like a typical social media licence.
It isn’t.
TikTok can create derivatives of you, not just your video
The licence explicitly allows TikTok to:
Modify and adapt your content
Create derivative works
Use your name, image, likeness, voice, and voiceprint
This matters because:
A derivative is not the original video
A derivative can be AI-generated
A derivative can exist without your original content being visible
And critically:
TikTok owns the derivatives it creates. You do not.
That is the legal line where most people lose control.
AI training: there is no opt-out
If you use TikTok:
You cannot opt out of your content being used for AI training
You cannot prevent the use of your voice or likeness for model development
You cannot restrict how derivatives are used once created
Deleting the video, your account, or the app does not revoke the licence.
The permission you granted survives all of that.
“But they’re all the same” — no, they aren’t
TikTok is often compared to other platforms, especially Meta. That comparison is misleading.
Other platforms rely, in the UK and EU, on legitimate interests. That triggers legal rights to object to AI training and future use. TikTok’s structure does not.
This difference matters legally. It affects:
Whether you can stop future AI training
Whether deletion has real effect
Whether consent can be withdrawn
We’ll cover that comparison properly in a separate post.
What this means in practice
Using TikTok is not just a marketing decision. It is a decision to:
Permanently license your likeness and voice
Allow AI-generated reuse you cannot control
Accept that some uses may never be visible to you
For some businesses and creators, that trade-off may be acceptable.
What matters is knowing that you are making it.
If you support content creators, this applies to you too
This isn’t only a decision made by influencers themselves.
If you are a VA, social media manager, OBM, or marketing support, and you are uploading content on someone else’s behalf, you are often the person clicking “post” — and triggering these terms.
That matters.
If you upload video or audio featuring a client’s face, voice, likeness, or anyone else appearing in the content, you need to be confident that they understand TikTok’s AI training and derivative rights, know that deletion does not undo those permissions, and have knowingly agreed to that risk.
This is not something you should assume or gloss over.
Extra caution: content involving children
If the content includes a child’s image, voice, or likeness, the risks are significantly higher.
TikTok’s terms allow permanent licensing, AI training, and the creation of derivatives that cannot later be withdrawn. That raises a serious question: whether meaningful consent can be given at all on behalf of a child whose future interests may be affected in ways that cannot be reversed.
Even where parents or guardians are involved, agreement today cannot account for how a child may feel about that use in adulthood, future uses of AI-generated derivatives, or reputational and personal consequences that cannot be undone.
For that reason, uploading children’s content to TikTok carries risks that go beyond ordinary marketing decisions.
In many cases, the safest and most responsible option is not to upload that content at all.
At a minimum, anyone supporting content creation should treat children’s images, voices, and likenesses as high-risk data and avoid platforms that allow permanent and uncontrolled reuse.
Why this matters for businesses, not just influencers
This isn’t only a “creator economy” issue.
If you appear on video as a business owner, use TikTok for service marketing, or speak about clients, processes, or expertise, then your identity becomes part of a permanent data licence.
That has implications for brand control, personal reputation, and long-term AI reuse you cannot audit or stop.
Read this before you post
TikTok is not hiding this. The terms are public.
The problem is that most people hear “you still own your video”, assume that means “nothing to worry about”, and never read the derivative and AI clauses.
Ownership of the original file is not the same thing as control over what is built from it.
That distinction is now central to understanding TikTok AI training terms.
Next up: why TikTok and Meta are not legally equivalent — and where opt-out rights still exist in the UK and EU.
This is part of a wider series examining how AI intersects with copyright and data privacy in online work. If you want to see the series just click the AI category on the blog page.
