This is a really interesting topic making the rounds at the moment, primarily because some countries and states are starting to consider a ban on TikTok as a results of the risk the platform’s ownership poses to private and personal data.
Every social media user will know that the platforms collect some data from you – from an email address for sign in, to your name, birthday, and list of contacts from your device.
After all, much of this data is required to complete your profile and finetune your user experience.
But how aware are you of the data collected, beyond this simple email address and birth date?
In this article, we’re sharing a list of the data that TikTok collects from its users.
The Data That TikTok Collects When Building an Account
When you create a TikTok account, the platform asks for the following…
- Your email address
- Your interests
- Your birth date
- Your Facebook information if you connect the app with your Meta settings
- Your contact list if you connect the app to your contacts
- Any information from apps and social profiles that you connect to TikTok
The Ongoing Data Collected By TikTok
Most users, when asked about the data they think about giving to TikTok, stop after the aforementioned list and think that’s it.
But the data collected by TikTok goes well beyond that.
TikTok also collects information about the videos you view and engage with, the searches you perform on the app, your location data when using TikTok, and even things like keyboard strokes and how you search on the app.
Is Data Collected by TikTok Safe?
One of the biggest concerns regarding the data collected by TikTok revolves around the ownership of the company, which is rooted in a Chinese company called ByteDance.
Concerns are that if ByteDance was ordered by the Chinese government to share data from the app, it would have to under its own local law – meaning that information about user behaviours and consumerism in the West could be uncovered and weaponised by China.
TikTok does have many features in place which are designed to protect its users and creators – and it makes promises in the terms and conditions that information will never be sold. However, it maintains the right to share information gathered for business purposes – and really, there’s no way of 100% guaranteeing that your personal information and data isn’t being shared outside of the platform.
Our advice? Keep as much information private as possible, and only share what you have to when setting up an account and using the app.
We hope this helps. It’s important to always stay vigilant!