TikTok Security – Is TikTok Safe? Privacy and Security

Security is one of the most crucial aspects of the Internet, particularly when it comes to social media.

When discussing social media, I must mention TikTok, a video-sharing app, as one of the most popular social media apps today, boasting over 1 billion users each month.

Among all social media apps, TikTok is noted not only for its popularity but also for its potential security issues and user privacy concerns.

Additionally, since those issues have been identified by US government officials, many TikTok users have understandably been alarmed.

TikTok Security

Since there are certainly individuals who may not be familiar with these allegations, I will begin by providing more information about the entire situation and analyzing it. Then, I will move on to specific examples of TikTok’s privacy and security issues.

The core issue lies in the fact that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance.

A couple of years ago, then-American president Donald Trump accused the company of sharing users’ personal information and data with the Chinese government.

The Chinese Communist Party, already criticized for stifling free speech, was further accused by President Trump’s administration of controlling all Chinese companies and, consequently, all Chinese apps.

Due to these claims, all other Chinese-owned apps and tech companies were viewed with suspicion, and some countries even chose to ban TikTok.

In fact, some countries continue to ban TikTok.

Furthermore, some information revealed that Chinese users did not view the same content as users from other regions of the world due to specific algorithms that utilize Artificial Intelligence technology.

Nonetheless, these allegations were never officially confirmed.

While various Internet and social media experts have asserted that TikTok poses risks to user data security comparable to those of other social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, even the current American president, Joe Biden, expressed concerns about the social media app TikTok during his presidential election campaign.

To this day, there has not been much evidence against TikTok, but that has not stopped certain US senators from introducing a bill that prohibits all federal employees from using the TikTok app on their government devices.

Subsequently, the Pentagon ordered all its military personnel to remove TikTok from their mobile devices.

Ultimately, although the US government maintained that TikTok posed a national security threat, most experts and the general public, both in the USA and around the world, viewed this as a politically motivated issue.

Potential TikTok Security Concerns

Given all these allegations, it was reasonable to expect that some online security researchers would investigate them further.

However, they did not uncover anything remarkable, and it became clear that TikTok is as dangerous, risky, and harmful as any other social network.

However, I am certain there are individuals who are curious and would like to understand the potential security concerns associated with TikTok. Therefore, I have compiled a brief list of some privacy issues.

1. National Security Concerns

As this issue is the most significant one and has triggered the entire international crisis between the USA and China, I have chosen to address it first.

Unfortunately, I must inform you that this issue will remain a mystery, as all the available information is quite vague.

It is evident that TikTok is a Chinese-owned app and that the company has access to all its users’ data, including that of users from the USA.

This led US politicians to believe that TikTok was spying on American citizens using the app and sending all their data to the Chinese government.

It is a well-known fact that information is the most powerful weapon.

This is why the US government classified TikTok as a national security risk, feeling threatened by a foreign government.

Most importantly, under Chinese laws, this operation would be entirely legal.

Conversely, the company asserts that its security measures are entirely lawful, that it stores American user data on multiple servers within the USA rather than on Chinese servers, and that it has never shared user data with the Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese government.

In summary, to address the question of “Is TikTok safe?”: we may discover the truth eventually, but for now, regarding national security, TikTok is relatively safe.

2. Data Collection

It is neither surprising nor shocking to state that TikTok collects user data.

Ultimately, every social network serves the same purpose.

However, when you learn that TikTok can access information such as your internet address, gender, age, details about your mobile phone (including the operating system), messages you’ve sent, websites you’ve visited, and even your biometric data, you may feel somewhat exposed, anxious, and scared.

Additionally, some sources indicate that TikTok has access to other apps on the same device, and therefore, to multiple different accounts.

Furthermore, understanding that the company can share the aforementioned information with marketing and advertising sellers may certainly make you feel uneasy and cause you to reconsider using TikTok.

However, the collection of user data is quite common for many apps. If people were truly that scared and anxious, they would never have used any social network.

3. Required Permissions

Permissions are another aspect that is common across all social networks.

When using TikTok, the app requires permission to access your camera, location, microphone, clipboard, and contacts.

We can debate whether all of these permissions are necessary, but this is the current situation, and it is unlikely that things will change in the near future.

Finally, I want to emphasize that my goal was to keep you informed about potential security issues on TikTok, not to frighten you or discourage you from using this or any other social media platform.

What Can TikTok Users Do to Diminish Potential Security Risks on TikTok?

Although all these security risks are, as I’ve mentioned, typical for social networks, and despite the fact that most people will continue using TikTok as they have in the past, I recognize that there are individuals who will choose to delete their TikTok accounts.

However, some individuals will undoubtedly wish to continue using the app while also seeking ways to protect their sensitive data.

That’s why I conducted some research and discovered several things they can do.

Although the subtitle states “What can TikTok users do…”, I will primarily focus on what you should avoid doing to minimize your data security risks.

1. Make Your Account Less Visible

Although you may believe otherwise, your account is quite visible to all other TikTok users.

Specifically, TikTok recommends and shares your profile and content with other users in the TikTok community.

To prevent this and make your profile less visible, thereby reducing the security risk, go to “Settings,” locate the “Suggest your account to others” option, and turn it off.

2. Don’t disclose too much

Another effective way to protect your data privacy is to avoid disclosing excessive sensitive information.

Therefore, ensure that you do not use your real name or disclose your age.

Additionally, ensure that you do not disclose your address or include any identifiable landmarks from your neighborhood in your TikTok video, as these could potentially reveal your location.

3. Reduce the number of people with whom you interact

TikTok, by default, permits other users to download your videos and send you private messages, which can be unsettling to know that unknown individuals may have your videos on their devices or send you direct messages.

To protect your videos and your inbox, you can use “Settings” to disable the “Allow your videos to be downloaded” option and configure it so that only your friends can send you private messages.

4. Set Your Account to Private

If your account is public, anyone can view your likes on TikTok, and anyone can begin following you.

When you set your account to private, only your TikTok friends can see what you have liked, and anyone who wishes to follow you will need your approval first.

Conclusion

First of all, I must express my strong support for the position that all social media apps should respect their users’ data privacy, just as users are required to adhere to the community guidelines.

In this text, my primary objective was to present both sides of this issue, and I hope I have succeeded in doing so.

I didn’t want to influence your opinion about TikTok or impact your decision on whether to start using the app, continue using it, or stop altogether.

This text provides all the necessary information regarding security on TikTok, but the final decision about using the platform will ultimately be yours.

If you require additional information to determine whether to use it, I recommend reviewing guides on how TikTok operates and how to use it.