HOW TIKTOK STEALS YOUR DATA: More than a social app?

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Social media has become an integral part of our daily routines, offering endless hours of entertainment and a convenient platform to connect with loved ones. However, behind the facade of viral videos and heartwarming posts, lies a murky world of data mining and exploitation that often goes unnoticed.

TikTok, the wildly popular social media app, is no exception to this trend. With a questionable data distribution policy and a cloud of suspicion surrounding its ownership, many are beginning to question the motives behind the app's data collection practices.

So, who exactly owns TikTok, and what is their relationship with China? Why are Western governments growing increasingly concerned about the potential use of this app for espionage?

Join us as we take a deep dive into the inner workings of TikTok and explore the unsettling truth about the kind of user data that is being collected, and the sinister motives behind it all. Buckle up, this is going to be a wild ride!


WHAT IS TIKTOK?

TikTok is a very popular social media app that allows users to create, share and watch short-form videos. It became viral with teens creating dancing videos. Nowadays, it is in demand with all sorts of topics such as acting and comedy, health and psychology, and even  military or OSINT videos of Russian army equipment in Ukraine.

TikTok was created by the Chinese tech company ByteDance. The app was launched in September 2016 under the name Douyin in China, and was later released internationally as TikTok in September 2017. It has been downloaded over one billion times.

TikTok allows users to create and upload short-form videos that are around 15 to 60 seconds in length. The videos are set to music or some other form of audio, and often are creatively edited using filters and visual effects. Other users can like and comment on the videos, and follow and engage with creators. People can go "TikTok viral" and garner millions of views on one video. Overall, people use TikTok for entertainment, creative expression, and social interaction with other users.

HOW DOES TIKTOK COLLECT DATA? 

According to TikTok's Privacy Policy they collect the following data: 
  • Profile information such as name, date of birth, phone number, passwords and emails. 
  • User content such as the photographs, videos, audio that has been uploaded or recorded on the app, or any information that has been shared to the platform. They also copy all the content from the clipboard (videos, text and images) if the users copy and pastes something in the app. They also collect your location information. 
  • Direct messages that are sent between you and other members on the app. This means TikTok collects all the content, location, time it was sent, whether it was read or not, and the names of the users. 
  • Purchase information if you make any purchases through the app. This includes your name, and payment method  details such credit card or PayPal. They also store your transaction and purchase history. 
  • Your contact list will be collected, either from your phone or through social media. So, all the names, phone numbers, emails, etc of all your friends and family. 
  • Surveys, research and promotions 
  • Information when you contact TikTok such as proof of age, feedback or inquiries. 
Now, for the more subtle things that TikTok collects automatically:
  • Your device information such as your device model, operating system, keystroke patterns or rhythms, IP address and your network information 
  • Your location information 
  • The app you used right before TikTok 
  • It tracks what content you engaged with on the platform, your likes and dislikes and the length of time you spent on the platform and watching the videos. This is why the app is so successful, as the algorithm collects a vast amount of information and is able to suggest the perfect content to engage the user. 
  • Cookies to track information on your device. 
  • Inferred attributes such as age, sex, and gender. This also includes the biometric data from your phone such as your face and voice. 
WHAT DOES TIKTOK DO WITH ALL THIS DATA? WHO COLLECTS IT?

From the company's point of view, again from the Privacy Policy, they say that they use this data to provide a "seamless user experience" and to provide data for marketing and advertising purposes. They say that they use the data to provide you with customized content, for safety and protection on the app, to offer personalized advertisement and to improve the content and marketability of the app. 

The data is stored on servers in USA and Singapore. Data is processed, stored and shared according to the laws of European Union and USA (for example). You data is shared, in a limited capacity, with countries such as Canada, UK, Israel, Japan, South Korea. Also, limited access to your data can be give to entities that are located in Brazil, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.

WHERE WAS IT BANNED AND WHY?

TikTok has been partly, to fully, banned, in quite many countries due to privacy concerns. Those come from the app's strong ties to China. Western countries fear that apps from countries such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are at a great risk to be used for espionage. TikTok has vociferously protested that they have never, and will never, share data with the Chinese government. 

Additionally to firmly denying they will never share the data, TikTok announced that all USA traffic is now rerouted to servers based in United States run by Oracle. However, there is a long track history of the Chinese government pushing businesses to do its bidding! 

TikTok is fully banned in India and partially banned in many countries such as USA, Netherlands, France, Britain, all EU Institutions, Norway, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Taiwan. Partial ban means these countries insist that the app is not installed on any governmental phone. 

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR TIKTOK? 

TikTok, the social media sensation that has taken the world by storm, shows no signs of slowing down! However, there's a growing concern among the public regarding the app's data collection practices, which extend to non-users as well. When you add the recent bans on government phones to the mix, it raises eyebrows and questions.

There's even talk of a complete ban on TikTok in the United States, but let's face it, it's a long shot. The app is simply too popular and generates a ton of advertising revenue to be shut down completely!

That said, the future of TikTok is uncertain, and we're all curious to see how it unfolds. Perhaps the numerous scandals and allegations of espionage will spur government officials to take action and ban it from Western countries altogether. Only time will tell!

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