Using platforms like Facebook or Instagram, we agree to share sensitive data with them. It is no different with TikTok – a Chinese service that literally tracks your every move online. Deluding ourselves into thinking otherwise would be naive – the creators themselves have confirmed this. We explain what this app knows about you!
Many people wonder, is TikTok spying on our activities? Nowadays, collecting personal data on the Internet has become a daily routine that not all of us approve of but accept. By using social media and many other apps, we agree to share information about ourselves with them.
TikTok is no exception, quite the opposite – it knows much more about us than other “time eaters”. How and what data does the Chinese app collect, where does it store it, and what does it use it for? We explain!
“Dangerous and spying on users” – TikTok raises controversy
TikTok is one of the most popular social media applications. According to statistics provided by Business of Apps, in 2023, nearly 1.6 billion people worldwide used it.
The portal enjoys great popularity because it allows watching short videos, mostly humorous or tutorial ones, with the option to skip ads immediately. Over time, the algorithm learns about our interests and adjusts the displayed content accordingly. The app offers everything to keep us engaged for several good hours.
However, the advantages are increasingly overshadowed by the downsides. Many controversies are raised by the fact that TikTok collects user data much more than the competition. There are even claims that the service spies for China, so that their government can expand its databases with information about people from around the world.
“This service is dangerous and spies on users” – many comments can be found, for instance, in the Google Play store. But what is all the fuss about?
What does TikTok know about you?
First and foremost, these are the absolute basics you need to provide when setting up an account on any other service: name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and password. Additionally, if you post content on the platform, TikTok automatically gains the right to possess it. Regardless of whether the videos are public or you mark them as private.
The Chinese app TikTok also spies on users by collecting other data, which is optional to share. However, many people do not pay attention to the option to refuse and mindlessly accept access requests.
These include, among others:
- contact list,
- account data on other platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc.),
- location,
- phone memory,
- online behavioral data,
- information from other sites collected via tracking pixels,
- calendars,
- biometrics,
- device technical data.
The amount of information the Chinese app collects theoretically does not differ from what we encounter on other popular services. However, the problem lies in tracking user activities through the built-in browser. Here, the privacy policy does not look as good as with the competition.
TikTok can access your bank card, passwords, and many more!
Using the app, we have the possibility to navigate to another website and perform operations there. For example, while watching videos, we might encounter an advertisement for shoes that we want to buy. By clicking on the link directly through the service, we authorize it to collect data.
In this way, TikTok gains access to our bank card if we decide to make a purchase. Special keyloggers remember the movements made on the site and the keys we use. In short – each user of the app unknowingly shares the most sensitive data with the Chinese.
The discovery made headlines in 2022, when cybersecurity researcher Felix Krause analyzed internal browsers offered by the most popular social media platforms. Such advanced monitoring was observed only in the case of a popular Chinese app – every other app in a similar situation redirects us to the default browser.
Is TikTok spying for China? USA calls for banning the app
It’s no surprise that for several years now, there’s been increasing talk about TikTok passing intelligence data to the Chinese government. The concerns of Western countries seem fully justified. In 2022, the United States even threatened to remove the app from stores. One proponent of this solution was Brendan Carr from the Federal Communications Commission.
He stated that the app’s goal is to collect personal data of its users and send it to Beijing. Interestingly, both Carr’s observations and those of the previously mentioned Krause were addressed by the app’s creators.
They admitted that TikTok does collect information, but the sole purpose is precise data profiling. This way, the portal is tailored for the most convenient use. That’s the official version – what’s the reality?
How to protect your data and security on TikTok?
Are you worried about the app tracking you, but still want to use it? Don’t worry! There are certain methods that will help you increase your security while using the app.
Ways to protect your privacy on TikTok:
- Do not agree to access information that is not mandatory.
- Use a fictitious name and surname.
- Use a false date of birth.
- Create an account with a new email address that you will use only for this.
- Do not click on offers directly from the browser in the app.
- Use a different password than on other social media and banking apps.
Does TikTok spy – FAQ
Are you worried about spying on the popular Chinese portal? Find the answers to the most frequently asked questions!
Is TikTok a spy app?
Officially, all information collected by TikTok is aimed at improving the user experience. However, rumors suggest that the app spies for the Chinese government, tracking every user move.
Is TikTok safe?
Using TikTok itself is safe, and inappropriate content is efficiently blocked. However, concerns arise from the app’s privacy policy, which results in us sharing a lot of our data with the service’s creators.
Will TikTok be removed?
As of now (July 2024), there is no indication that the popular Chinese portal will be removed in UK. However, it has previously been banned in some countries, such as India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran, as well as in the state of Montana in the USA.
Why is TikTok dangerous?
TikTok can pose a danger due to its access to many sensitive personal data of users. Additionally, the app is the only one that tracks movements from the built-in browser, through which it can gain access to, among other things, our bank card data.
What data does TikTok collect?
The data collected by the app includes, among others, name and surname, date of birth, email, and movements from the built-in browser. Additionally, with our consent, the service can access, for example, contacts, phone memory, location, and behavioral data.