At a Glance
Is ByteDance’s TikTok social media sharing platform safe? While the platform won’t infect your device with a virus or malware, the platform does pose privacy threats, due to the user information the platform collects, as well as who the platform shares that information with. Also, there are plenty of bad actors on TikTok that are looking to scam you.
In this article, I’ll explain why TikTok is a privacy risk, what the dangers are when you use the platform, and how you can keep you and your personal information safer while using the popular social media sharing platform.
What Is TikTok?
TikTok is a video-sharing social media platform that was launched back in 2016. The platform currently boasts more than 1.4 billion monthly active users. TikTok is popular with the younger set, as 62% of TikTok users in the US are between the ages of 10 and 29 (the app is geared to appeal to younger users, so that should not be a surprise).
There have always been several privacy issues connected to the TikTok platform, including the personal information it collects from both adults and teens, the misinformation it spreads, mental health concerns, and more.
In July 2022, Buzzfeed News reported that TikTok user data was being accessed from China (this is also not a surprise, as TikTok’s parent corporation, ByteDance, is a China-based company).
However, ByteDance said that while staff in China did have access to U.S. data, the company does not share information with the Chinese government (now if that were true it WOULD be a surprise)!
Is TikTok Safe?
TikTok does admittedly offer most of the same security features that other social media platforms do. These security features include:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- Users below the age of 18 have a 60-minute time limit
- Comment filters and curated content for users younger than 13
- Private accounts are assigned by default to users between the ages of 13 and 15
- Only users 18 and older are allowed to complete transactions with virtual gifts
Unfortunately, TikTok doesn’t respect its users’ privacy rights, making it dangerous for users – especially underage users. It is also fertile scamming grounds for bad actors.
Why Isn’t TikTok Safe?
TikTok Is a Goldmine for Scammers
TikTok, like any other social media platform to be honest, has plenty of potential for scammers, thanks to the platform’s ability to send and receive direct messages (DMs) on the platform.
Here’s a few scams to stay alert for in your DMs:
- Phishing scams: Do not click or tap on links or open attachments. Don’t do it. Scammers use the links to download malware to your device, allowing them to steal your private information. Meanwhile opening attachments can also install malicious software on your device.
- Boost followers or likes scams: Scammers will send you DMs promising you that, for a low fee, they’ll increase the number of followers or video likes to artificially boost your numbers to make you look like a TikTok rockstar. When you get DMs like this, block them and report them for spam.
- Romance scams: These scammers take advantage of the human need for love, telling you that you are heaven on earth and are everything to them, then hitting you up for money or personal and financial info as the “relationship” moves forward. Don’t get catfished. If someone seems too good to be true, they are.
- Investment scams: Investment “quick buck” scams take advantage of the unfortunate human desire to get rich quickly with little to no effort. These scams draw victims in by making promises about quick returns on crypto or other types of investments. Never fall for these, block them, report them, and go on with your life.
Your Information Is Not Kept Private on TikTok
TikTok, like every other social media site, collects information about you and other users while you’re on the app. While you can read TikTok’s privacy policy, here is a short summary of what types of information the platform collects:
- Any information you include in your user profile, including your name, your age, the language you speak, your phone number, your photo, and your email address
- Any photo or video content you upload to TikTok
- Messages you send and receive from other TikTok users
- Information from outside accounts (like Facebook or Google) that you link to your TikTok account
- Any information it can find about you from publicly available sources
- Your search activity on TikTok
- Information about your device, which can include your IP address, your ISP or cellular carrier, your time zone, and the apps installed on your device
- Your keystrokes
- Your location
Once TikTok has collected all of this information, the company uses it to determine what type of TikTok videos should show up on your “For You Page” and more importantly, it uses it to target you with advertisements. TikTok also sells your information to third parties.
Some of the groups that TikTok shares data with include:
- Advertisers: TikTok shares user information with advertisers to allow for targeted ads and to better interpret user activity.
- Other social media platforms: TikTok trades user data back and forth with other social media platforms to learn more about what users do on other apps.
- Third-party apps: TikTok also shares user data with apps not owned by ByteDance. This allows users to access third-party integrations from Quizlet and other apps to create content.
- Governments and police agencies: TikTok does cooperate with law enforcement and federal agencies who request user data from the service to assist with investigations or to comply with government subpoenas.
Scams can occur if bad actors get their hands on any of this shared user data.
TikTok’s privacy policy also admits that the platform analyzes your photos and videos to identify “the objects and scenery that appear, the existence and location within an image of face and body features and attributes, the nature of the audio, and the text of the words spoken in your User Content.”
A Business Insider report claimed that TikTok even analyzes the faces and bodies of the subjects in your uploaded photos and videos, lowering the views of users determined to be overweight, unattractive, or disabled. The service also subtracts points for photos taken in “slums” or in rural areas. However, TikTok owner ByteDance denies this saying that “most of” the guidelines included in the report were either no longer being enforced or never were enforced.
How About Young TikTok Users?
While TikTok does have special protections in place for children 13 and under, there are several privacy issues that parents should worry about when it comes to their offspring using TikTok.
TikTok does offer a restricted mode that allows kids to watch TikTok videos and even allows them to make their own videos. However, they are not allowed to save their videos to the popular social media platform, they can only save them to their device. Users under 13 are also prevented from sending or receiving messages and other users cannot see their profile.
While all of the above restrictions are certainly a good thing, kids can still view videos that include adult content and other types of inappropriate content. Plus, TikTok still collects data about younger users.
Parents and guardians can go to the “Family Pairing” section in Settings to limit what their children see on their TikTok feed, set up usage time limits, and more.
Why Should I Worry About a Chinese Company Owning TikTok?
Chinese companies are much more beholden to the Chinese government than companies in the U.S. While it’s true that both Chinese and U.S. companies cooperate with their respective governments, the Chinese government’s overwatch of companies in the country is much more severe than in the U.S. This has led to concerns around the world as to how independent Chinese firms are compared to companies in other countries.
Unfortunately, there are several laws and regulations in China that allow the Chinese government to compel firms in that country to hand over data, including source code and encryption, to the government.
U.S. officials are concerned that Chinese authorities could force its parent company ByteDance to act as an agent of the Chinese government, against the interests of other countries.
It should be noted that, while it’s true that companies in the U.S. have worked with the government in the past, they are not required to turn over encrypted messages. One example is Apple’s refusal of a government request to unlock the encrypted messages on an iPhone used by a terrorist in the 2015 San Bernardino mass shooting case.
There are concerns that TikTok could be used to endanger national security in the United States and other countries. The TikTok app could collect or steal data from government and military officials, heads of corporations, executives, and other high-level individuals.
As this year (2024) is a presidential election year in the U.S., there are also concerns that China could use TikTok to manipulate social media to affect the election results.
How Can I Protect Myself on TikTok?
The best way to protect yourself on TikTok is to not get on TikTok (or any other social media platform). However, I know that isn’t a realistic solution for many of my readers, so let’s take a look at other ways to protect yourself on TikTok and other social media platforms.
- Never share private information: Always exercise caution in sharing personal data with other users, even if you think you know them. Never share information like your Social Security Number, your home address, your phone number, or any other contact details.
- Do some social media maintenance: Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in social media accounts. Delete any social media accounts that you no longer use, keep your actively used accounts private, and update your passwords on a regular basis (using unique, secure passwords, of course).
- Use cybersecurity tools: Make sure to install and use cybersecurity tools like antivirus, anti-malware, and a password manager. Antivirus and anti-malware software can scan your system, alerting you to infected files and apps, and cleaning the malicious files from your device. Meanwhile, a password manager allows you to use unique secure passwords on all of your accounts.
- Use a VPN: A VPN encrypts your internet connection, ensuring that third parties cannot monitor your online activities. A VPN also temporarily assigns a fresh IP address to your device. This means that no one can detect your real IP address and use it to determine your physical location. This prevents unsavory characters from SWATTING, doxxing, or stalking you.
In Closing
As we’ve discovered, TikTok and other social media platforms are a threat to both you and your child’s privacy and online safety. Even if you consciously take measures to protect yourself while on TikTok, there are still dangers lurking on the platform. Users need to stay alert for online dangers, doing all that they can to protect themselves and their families.
Is TikTok Safe FAQs
Is TikTok Safe for My Children?
TikTok has privacy and security risks for all users, but particularly for children younger than 13. It’s tough to monitor your children to ensure that they stay safe while online. Even if you use TikTok’s built-in safety features, kids can still find out how to evade these safety measures by simply doing an internet search.
Can TikTok Read My Text Messages?
TikTok can read and file away any message you send via the app, including direct messages, comments, and just about any other text you enter from your device’s keyboard. In 2022, it was discovered that TikTok could monitor and record the text entered into its in-app web browser, as well as the activity users carried out while on those websites.
