TikTok is a Chinese social media platform, similar to Vine, which is no longer available. You can use it to share short videos with the whole world. But what about data protection or even the protection of minors in this social network? Privacy advocates are skeptical.
Data protection at TikTok
The security of TikTok is questioned again and again. Be it the dissemination of possible misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic or questionable moderation and deletion of content. The collection of user data is particularly worrying.
In the privacy statement of TikTok is, among other things: " We share your information with third parties continue to support us in providing the platform, including cloud storage providers We may share your personally identifiable information to business partners, other companies in the same group. such as TikTok (including TikTok Inc. in the USA, which provides certain services in connection with the platform for us), providers of moderation services, providers of measurement services ("measurement service partners"), advertisers and analysis providers. "
TikTok (like Facebook, for example) uses the Appsflyer service to collect user data and adjust advertising accordingly. It is unclear where the data will be distributed by Appsflyer. The service names over 4500 possible partner companies that can access the data. TikTok has moved its western headquarters to Ireland. There the data protection guidelines are a little different than in the rest of the EU, so that it is much more difficult to be informed about data protection problems. In addition to the data that you voluntarily provide as a TikTok user, other data is also automatically requested from your smartphone. These include:
- Content from audio and video chats
- all installed and deleted apps
- Location (via GPS), depending on the app version, a query is made every 30 seconds
- IP addresses and names of network connections
- Mac addresses from router and smartphone
- Information on whether your device is rooted or jailbroken
- Clipboard (on iPhone)
This data hole harbors a second problem: the security of the app is questioned again and again. Hackers are said to have had more frequent access to uploaded videos and personal data. TikTok is also suspected of being linked to the Chinese government. Videos that disseminate content critical of the regime are repeatedly deleted by the moderation algorithms as if by chance. The platform repeatedly denies the suspicion. At the end of 2020, TikTok promised more transparency when removing content..
Protection of minors at TikTok
Especially as a parent, you should be very careful with TikTok. For example, consumer advocates have already reported TikTok for surreptitious advertising among children. To protect your children, you should educate them about the risks and dangers of using the Internet, and especially about social networks. You should also keep in mind that the minimum age for TikTok according to its Terms of Use is 13 years. In Italy in particular, this policy was tightened again after a ten-year-old died in a TikTok challenge.
In addition, the moderation of the videos is not always consistent. There is no guarantee that your children will not suddenly see content that is not appropriate for their age. This can include depictions of violence or pornographic videos. These will probably be deleted sooner or later, but may still appear in the users' video feed up to this point..