TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company
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.
Marketing company URL Genius found that TikTok and YouTube collect more user personal data than any other social media app. However, unlike YouTube, which collects your data for Google, TikTok allows third-party trackers on its platform – so that means that there's no telling where your Tiktok data goes.
Disconnect found that data being transmitted to TikTok can include your IP address, a unique ID number, what page you're on, and what you're clicking, typing, or searching for, depending on how the website has been set up.
TikTok's privacy policy also says the company collects your email address, phone number, age, search and browsing history, information about what's in the photos and videos you upload, and if you consent, the contents of your device's clipboard so that you can copy and paste information into the app.
Can TikTok access your camera? 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.
Here's what to know: WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK? Both the FBI and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China's authoritarian government.
Still, TikTok has a long list of very real privacy scandals under its belt. In December 2022, the company admitted that employees had spied on reporters using location data, in an attempt to track down the source of leaked information. Those employees were fired, TikTok's parent company ByteDance said.
As part of its security features, TikTok allows users to view every device where their account is currently logged in. If users see a device that doesn't look familiar, they can delete the device from the list, which will log their account out from that platform.
“ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government. It is a private company,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said during the March 23 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
If you delete your account and uninstall the app from your phone, TikTok can't collect your data going forward, says Katherine Isaac, an executive at cybersecurity firm Carbide.
What does TikTok actually know about its users? Multiple privacy and security researchers who've examined TikTok's app say there aren't any glaring flaws suggesting the app itself is currently spying on people or leaking their information.
TikTok will never contact you asking for your account details or verification qualification. But it's important to remember that scammers may try to trick you into sharing your personal information, usually by email or through an in-app message.
The study found that 1 in 5 videos TikTok suggested contained misinformation. That's false, sometimes dangerous, information that is presented as the truth. In some cases, the videos included false info about important topics, like Covid-19 or the war in Ukraine.
The government's protective security direction states TikTok “poses significant security and privacy risks to non-corporate commonwealth entities arising from extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law”.
We are committed to maintaining your trust, and while TikTok does not sell your personal information or share your personal information with third parties for purposes of cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by applicable law, we want you to understand when and with whom we may share the Information We ...
TikTok could very likely capture the card details of multiple users using account credentials, very likely giving TikTok access to the user's bank account and payment history.
In April 2022, TikTok announced an update to its privacy policy that would give Chinese employees access to data belonging to TikTok's European users. The announcement fuelled the fire of fears about TikTok being an instrument of the Chinese Communist Party.
The DOJ and FBI are investigating TikTok over allegations that employees spied on journalists. The investigation comes as the Biden administration is demanding TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, sell the video-sharing app or see it banned in the United States.
Payment information so we can pay creators in the TikTok Creator Fund, and for accounts that use the TikTok wallet or our virtual gifting feature. Likes, shares, and search history on our app so we can recommend more relevant content.
The Australian government has banned the use of Chinese social media app TikTok on government devices, following similar bans in other western countries.
1. TikTok Collects a Lot of Data. This might not bother you very much unless you're a privacy enthusiast, but it should. TikTok's pursuit of data collection doesn't stop at gathering your preferences by tracking what type of content you like and share on the app.
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 are available for the TikTok app, and when you turn it on, TikTok will also collect your location information based on your device's GPS.
TikTok does not actually know what you are searching for in Google. However, Google does track data of the websites you visit and the searches you make using its browser. This data can then be used to serve advertisements and other digital content to you on TikTok.
Accounts that consistently violate Community Guidelines will be banned from TikTok. If your account has been banned, you'll receive a banner notification when you next open the app, informing you of this account change. If you believe your account was banned incorrectly, let us know by submitting an appeal.