Kids get excited about TikTok, but most parents don’t understand. But it’s the reason for some social conversations about internet privacy. So what do you need to know about TikTok? Here is some information that will answer your questions about what data does TikTok collect.
What is TikTok?
TikTok has more than a billion users worldwide and is the only one that has become so popular. TikTok is an application where users can record short videos of themselves cooking, dancing, or doing everyday tasks and then share their videos by adding music, speeding up or slowing down the video, or adding filters. Like Instagram, users on this platform can comment on videos, like them, or follow other users’ accounts. Moreover, these videos can also be shared on other social networks like Twitter and Instagram. But the question is, what data does TikTok collect?
According to Apptopia, another company that collects information about the world of technology, TikTok was downloaded more than Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram in October 2018. In August 2018, ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, merged Musical.ly, acquired in 2017, with TikTok, making the app popular among users in the United States. Bytedance bills itself as an artificial intelligence company and is best known in China for its popular news program Jinri Toutiao, or “Today’s Headline,” which it launched in 2012.
This company plans to enter the American market through TikTok and has focused most of its attention on the young users of this country. Although most Chinese social networks have struggled to attract foreign audiences, Apptopia writes in its report: “This app may be the first app from an Asian company to succeed in the US market.” In addition to ordinary users, TikTok has also attracted the attention of various brands. They have recently started their collaboration with the Guess brand in the fashion world to promote jeans for teenagers and young adults. In the continuation of the article, what data does TikTok collect, stay with DrTricks.
What data does TikTok collect?
Here’s a full list of the information TikTok collects about its users, including:
- The videos you watch
- Videos you comment on
- The keyboard rhythms you have when you type
- Your phone and location information
- Clipboard data
- Private messages and contacts
- Any information you share when creating your account
- Information from related social media accounts
Is TikTok less secure than other social media sites?
You might wonder how TikTok differs from apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. The main discussion about TikTok is that it belongs to a Chinese company called ByteDance and what data does TikTok collect. Due to international relations between the US and China, many users are concerned about online privacy.
Recently, an American company bought more of TikTok, meaning they now own most of the app.
Does this change in ownership mean you should be less concerned about what data does TikTok collect? Yes and no While many people agree that the app is now more secure due to the change in ownership, it can still order the same data it does.
What can TikTok do with the data it collects?
Perhaps the scariest part of apps like TikTok is that you can only hope it doesn’t share your information. The worst part about internet privacy is when an app or website sells your information to a third party.
Here’s an important disclaimer: If you’ve forgotten how Facebook once sold users’ private information, even when they promised otherwise, now’s a good time to remember.
Just because an app promises it won’t share your data doesn’t mean it’s going to stick to it. It’s always good to remember that once you share information online, it’s there, and you can’t take it back. Follow the article on what data does TikTok collect.
Why is TikTok dangerous?
So, what is TikTok? It is a free app and social media platform allowing users to share videos between 15 and 60 seconds. Similar to most dedicated social networks, TikTok collects user data and information.
Sure, it’s easy to accept some violations when using a free service. However, TikTok is often accused of going too far and posing severe security and privacy risks to its users.
This prompted both private companies and US government departments to ban their employees from installing and using the app on their work devices. Amazon was one of the first companies to issue the ban to workers, although they soon reversed their decision. But the financial services company, Wells Fargo, did not. Stay tuned for more information about what data does TikTok collect.
What are the dangers of TikTok?
1. TikTok collects a lot of data
This may not bother you much unless you are a privacy enthusiast. However, TikTok’s pursuit of data collection doesn’t stop at gathering your preferences by tracking the type of content you like and share on the app.
What data does TikTok collect? TikTok states in its privacy policy that it “collects the information you provide when you write, send or receive messages.” Focusing on using the word “write,” TikTok does not just collect the data and messages you share using the app but the content you create or write but don’t share.
TikTok also takes advantage of your access permission and collects information about your phone model, screen resolution, current operating system, phone number, email address, location, and even your contact list.
TikTok stores user data in the US and Singapore, but since Chinese company ByteDance owns it, they’re required by law to hand over user data upon request. While it’s important to note that there’s no clear evidence of TikTok sharing data, TikTok is a ticking time bomb at its core.
2. TikTok is full of security vulnerabilities
In the past few years, security researchers have found several vulnerabilities in the application. And since TikTok has access to so much personal information, it has become a favorite route for many hackers. But here we want to say what data does TikTok collect.
Hackers use TikTok to send users a text message that gives them access to their accounts.
This is the fact that TikTok uses an insecure HTTP connection to serve videos instead of the more secure option, HTTPS. This allows cybercriminals to manipulate users’ feeds and post unwanted content that can be misleading or offensive, especially to young TikTok users.
3. Who else uses TikTok data, and what data does TikTok collect?
TikTok is a video and sometimes audio-sharing platform. This means that even if TikTok and ByteDance don’t collect user data, others can.
Hundreds of hours of video uploaded by people is a goldmine for developing artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is not necessarily a good thing. Why TikTok is bad comes down to its future risks as well as its current risks.
As it stands, facial recognition and deepfake algorithms do not seriously threaten everyday users. However, with such high-quality data to use for education, the future may also be bleak for individuals.
4. Long-term implications of TikTok
Regular use of TikTok, whether as a consumer or content creator, will increase your digital footprint. This brings excellent risks, such as being more susceptible to phishing attacks and stalking. This is an important reason why you should care about your digital footprint.
But in the future, using TikTok can hinder your career in your chosen field. Take, for example, those that require a high degree of security, such as high-profile government jobs – they won’t be happy if a foreign country has access to highly personal and detailed information about you. For more information, we suggest you read the article “What data does TikTok collect.”
How do I delete my TikTok account?
If seeing how TikTok collects data makes you want to delete your account, it’s easy. All you have to do is go to your profile tab and click on the icon. Go to Manage My Account and click Delete Account.
By deleting your account and not using TikTok, stop the app from collecting more data about your activities. However, this does not delete previously shared data. Here is a list of internet safety tips to help you keep your information safe online.
How can I keep my information private?
While you’re signed up to TikTok’s privacy policy when you get started, there’s still something you can do to keep your information safe online. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) encrypt your data to keep you safer online and from hackers.
Conclusion
When it comes to privacy and security, TikTok is transparent with the data it collects. However, when using an app or service, remember that privacy policies and security regulations may change anytime, leaving your data exposed and your device vulnerable. In the article, we tried to explain what data does TikTok collect. Therefore, we suggest you avoid over-trusting and over-sharing with apps that do not value security and privacy from the beginning.
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