Despite ban, TikTok's data mapping tools can still fetch user information
TikTok’s troubles started with India but now it’s a subject of intense scrutiny around the world, not just because it’s a hallmark of China’s soft power but also because of the amount of data that TikTok collects.
As a result, the company could be sitting on an appalling amount of user data. TikTok's 15-second videos were quite the rage a few months back. They were one of the most popular social media apps. Tiktok was a massive hit among young adults but, now the company faces a backlash.
Tiktok has been banned in India and other rivals of China like the United States might ban it too and it's not just diplomacy that’s driving this "techlash". Security researchers have looked under the hood of TikTok as they fear the app is a data collection service masquerading as a social network.
Apart from details about every video you watch, Tiktok has full knowledge of what you do on the app. It knows the contents of the private messages exchanged on the platform and according to the app’s privacy policy in the US, TikTok collects country location, internet address and the type of device a user possess.
TikTok can also map the exact location, access phone contacts, age, phone number and other social network connections. In June, more criticism came Tiktok’s way after it was found that the app was snooping on the clipboards of users. The feature allows someone to copy and paste data from one app to another. These privacy concerns have led to lawsuits. Last year, a class-action lawsuit was filed against TikTok in California.
TikTok’s Chinese origins don’t help either. Under China’s security law, the company will have to share user data, if the Chinese government demands it. The threat of snooping has led to several bans on TikTok
Beyond India, the US army and navy have banned it. The Australian defence department had banned Tiktok in January. Earlier this month, TikTok was banned from all American government-issued phones. Now, the Trump administration is mulling a complete ban.
"With respect to TikTok, I want to put it in the broader context. We have been engaged in a constant evaluation about ensuring that we protect the privacy of American citizens and their information as it transits, so this doesn't relate to any one particular business or company but rather to American national security, and we are striving to get that right," US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said.
A lawmaker in Australia wants Tiktok banned too even if the app is banned, there is another major concern. Data already collected by Tiktok will remain stored with the company something that could still be accessed by anyone who has access to the servers of TikTok.