If you think TikTok is acting like Google or Meta when collecting data, you're not wrong. Consumer Reports (CR), a US-based nonprofit consumer organization, has revealed that TikTok gathers data on people who don't even use the app itself.
TikTok collects your approximate location information based on your device or network information, such as SIM card and IP address. In regions where Location Services is available, TikTok will also collect your location information based on your device's GPS data if you enable Location Services.
In short, NO. You cannot stop TikTok from tracking you. You can try but read this story first to decide if you have any chance of maintaining your privacy while using this app. Below you'll find our original article, which chronicles all the TikTok privacy and security concerns through the years.
TikTok Tracks You Across the Web, Even If You Don't Use App - Consumer Reports.
TikTok has the ability to track every tap of your screen while you browse in its iOS app, including typed passwords and clicked links, according to new research by software engineer Felix Krause. In-app browsing refers to any activity on third-party sites that open in the app, rather than in an external window.
In simple terms, your user data still exists, but you have chosen not to reaccess it via the app. What is this? Other TikTok users will still be able to view your content, videos, comments and profile if you only deleted the TikTok app.
Is TikTok safe? It's as safe as just about any other social media platform. It doesn't infect your phone with malware, but it comes with some safety risks like scams and saved user data.
In the US, TikTok can collect biometric information including face and voiceprints.
TikTok Tracks Your Online Search History, Location, Personal Data and More – Study Explains There's No Way To Know Where It's Going.
TikTok knows the device you are using, your location, IP address, search history, the content of your messages, what you're viewing and for how long.
While other apps also take similar data, TikTok's parent company is Chinese-owned ByteDance, and U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that the Chinese government could force the company to share the data it collects on its users. "We do have national security concerns," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in November.
How safe is TikTok? Using any social network can be risky, but it's possible for kids to safely use the app with adult supervision (and a private account). TikTok has different rules for different ages: Users under age 13 can't post videos or comment, and content is curated for a younger audience.
What are the privacy issues with TikTok? TikTok gathers tons of personal information that it does not need to function properly. Amongst other things, you consent to giving the app access to your browsing history, any content on your device's clipboard, linked social media accounts, and the content of your messages.
If an account has been set to private or the public video has been deleted by the user, these public videos are available to law enforcement via TikTok app. As a result, these data are not made available through a data request. However, such information can be availed only by pursuant to a warrant.
Yes, TikTok can access your camera, but only if you give the app permission. Keep in mind, though, that denying TikTok's access to your camera will prevent you from shooting content through the app, but you can still upload already-recorded videos to the platform.
The app will keep track of the videos someone has watched
TikTok's Watch History feature allows viewers to see all of the videos they've watched on the platform in the past seven days.
TikTok's Profile View History feature allows users to see who has viewed their profile within the last 30 days. When a user turns this feature on, other TikTok users who have also activated this feature will be able to see when the user has viewed their own profiles as well.
More specifically, TikTok altered its privacy policy last year to accommodate the collection of biometric data, which can include “faceprints and voiceprints”, among other forms of biometric identifiers.
It now enables TikTok to collect biometric data in the form of “faceprints and voiceprints” from its users in the US. These biometrics are unique and personal digital replicas of appearance, behaviour and expression.
Now, a similar feature will be available on standard TikTok videos. The short-form version of the 18+ barrier is arriving on TikTok now and will be expanded to more users “over the coming weeks.” The app hopes this change will allow users to direct content to “the most appropriate audience.”
The app is owned by the company ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing.
Besides being a waste of time, TikTok is a dangerous platform for users, serving as a hub of blatant misinformation and high-risk trends. Most TikTok users creating content about world events have not conducted sufficient research to support their claims, yet their videos can reach millions of people.
In short, it's best just to delete the app. However, deleting TikTok doesn't mean you're safe from foreign influence campaigns and efforts to steal your own personal information.
TikTok receives information including a person's IP address, their web browsing habits and search history, though some privacy settings can override how much data is tracked.
Basically, this case proves that TikTok can be used as a form of spyware, and that ByteDance, in line with Chinese approaches to detection and suppression, sees no problem with this.