The government recently announced that it would be banning TikTok from all government devices amid concerns of data security.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, and government officials feared that having the app on people's government work phones would give the company access to sensitive data. The app has consistently said that any data it collects is not shared with the Chinese government, but Chinese intelligence legislation requires firms to help the Communist Party when requested.
Cyber security experts at VPNOverview.com decided to investigate how much data TikTok collects from its users, why this has led to government bans, and how users can make their profiles more secure.
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What does TikTok know about you?
Even if you don’t have an account, TikTok already collects data from you. The moment you open a link someone has sent you, anonymized data such as your device type, your IP address, what content you consume, and the last app you used before clicking the link are collected.
Though this information is anonymous, there is a lot that can be inferred from it. The next time you open a TikTok link, for example, the algorithm will serve you recommendations based on your previous watch history. The more content you consume, the easier it is to determine your age range, gender, and interests, even without a profile.
This is the data that TikTok collects from its users:
- Email address
- Phone number
- Date of birth
- Profile information, including photos and videos
- Device information, including keystroke patterns
- Location information based on SIM card and/or IP address
- App activity
- Phone contact list
- Browser and search history
- Any text, images, and video on your device’s clipboard, if you copy and paste something into the app
- Biometric information (face and voice print)
- Information from other social media accounts
On top of this, TikTok requests multiple permissions, such as camera and microphone access, but also detailed information about your location (via GPS) and data from other apps you use.
What does it do with your data?
All social media apps, and other apps on your phone, collect data from you. Experts have said the risk with TikTok in particular is it remains unclear what exactly happens to your data, where it’s stored, and with whom TikTok does or doesn’t share user data. In its privacy policy, TikTok mentions things like “improving the user experience" as the purpose of collecting this information.
As with most other companies, you can request to see all the data TikTok has about you, but this won't tell you what it does with it.
TikTok says that user data is only saved on servers in Singapore and the United States rather than on Chinese servers, and it has not been possible for fact-checkers to find any transmissions to other countries, such as China. However, the claim is not completely verifiable.
Why has TikTok been banned from UK government phones?
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.
Because there are high levels of government censorship and surveillance in China, many people worry that ByteDance might be collecting data from TikTok users and passing it on to the Chinese government.
In a statement about TikTok privacy concerns, the UK government said: "The government, along with our international partners, is concerned about the way in which this data may be used." The worry is that the Chinese-owned app was able to access data from devices, including geolocation, calendar, contacts, and even the sim card serial number.
How can I protect my data?
1. Anonymise yourself - The first thing to do is create a TikTok account that doesn’t immediately reveal your identity. You can use a secondary anonymised email address and remove personally identifiable information wherever possible.
For example, using a fake name and birth date will make you less likely to become a victim of identity theft. On top of that, it’s important not to link TikTok to other social media accounts. The more information TikTok can use to build up your profile, the more the app will infringe upon your privacy.
2. Set your account to private - Setting your account to private will allow you to determine who gets to see your content. This can greatly improve your online security if you’re not yet ready to delete TikTok. To make your account private, click on the three dots in the top right corner of the TikTok app, select Privacy and Safety, and toggle on Private account.
You can also limit who can see your account, and there are a few ways to do this. Under Privacy and Safety:
- Toggle off the “Suggest your accounts to others“
- Toggle off the “Find your contacts“
- Filter “Who can send you direct messages” to Friends
3. Don't let others download your videos - You can change this setting by going to the Privacy and Safety menu in your account and toggling off “Allow others to download my videos.” This will prevent people from storing your videos elsewhere without your permission.
It’s important to keep in mind that the more you use TikTok, the more data the app will gather. Despite the fact that changing these settings will make your account more secure, it’s inevitable that TikTok collects data. Certain private information will be gathered, simply because of the way you use the app.
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