“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.” [5]
TikTok is a wildly popular social media app among people in the world, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing may be collecting data and spreading misinformation. The app is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company founded in March 2013.
TikTok has been installed by over 3.5 billion users worldwide. 1 billion out of those are monthly active users – TikTok is used by about 30 % of people on the internet. That is more than a quarter of the world’s internet users. [1]
The technology war
The company has faced some scandals over the years. TikTok gets reactions from the EU and the US over security and data privacy worries that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or to collect users’ information.
As of December 2022 TikTok admitted that the app had been used to spy on a number of US journalists as part of a leak investigation. TikTok’s spokeswoman says the employees who accessed the data were fired in December. [2]
This made other countries in the world concerned about their citizens and government members’ security. Even though it may not be visible at first look, China and the west are locked in a technology war. But what exactly caused the problem?
How TikTok works?
Let’s describe how TikTok works. TikTok uses advanced AI technology that is able to recognise a user’s interests within a few seconds. Based on collected data the algorithm recommends next short videos the user may like. As a result, users spend more and more time on the app. You might think that the algorithm uses data collected from your interactions, such as likes or follows. Not necessarily. When you install TikTok, it will already know a lot about you, especially about your device. If you ever read the boring but important privacy policy, you could find there a section about information it collects. In short, the app automatically collects your smartphone’s technical information, location, usage information, content in your videos (to recognise objects and for more accurate filters), cookies and inferred information (the more information you’ll give the app the more accurate and appropriate content you’ll get).
So now you found out that TikTok, like other social media apps, collects a lot of data. But that isn’t the key problem…
Data harvesting and the access
A cyber-security report published in July 2022 by researchers at Internet 2.0, studied the app’s source code. The Australian company reported that the app excessively harvests the data. Analysts said TikTok collects details such as location, what specific device the person uses and which other apps the user has on the device. [3]
Lawmakers in the West have expressed concern that TikTok and ByteDance may collect sensitive user data and send them right away to the Chinese government. They have pointed to laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence-gathering operations. They are also worried that China is using TikTok’s content recommendations for misinformation. Parts of the US and the EU had already blocked access to TikTok on official devices to avoid concerns over data privacy and security. “US government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app reveal Washington’s own insecurities and are an abuse of state power”, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said. [4]
The security concerns are increasing in power, more countries are joining in banning the app from all government-issued mobile devices. As of January 2023, several Asian countries banned TikTok and in February 2023 Canada banned the app.
Western world takes the action
The chief information officer of Canada had determined that TikTok presented “an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security … On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone”.
A TikTok spokesperson reacted in an email: “It’s curious that the government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US.” [5]
In March 2023, Denmark and Belgium also banned the use of TikTok on devices issued by the government.
TikTok said these moves were based on “misplaced fears”. Politicians in the West are warning that the Chinese government could access its data or manipulate what people see on the app via its recommendation algorithm. Since 2020, TikTok executives have repeatedly tried to reassure people around the globe that Chinese staff can’t access the data of non-Chinese users. It’s good to mention, that China has blocked foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook etc.
Summary
Due to the fact that TikTok has access to an enormous amount of data the algorithm may be super efficent but also super dangerous.
There were several discussions whether to ban TikTok for all citizens of any country. Despite this move would be the safest way to avoid security concerns, it’s not that easy. Many people are already used to the app and they love it. For younger generations it’s also a news source or a platform where they can express their own opinons. The problem is that young people (18-25) make up more than three quarters of all TikTok users. Also a government based on democratic principles can’t just ban any social media. That would break the freedom of speech and may lead to censorship.
The question is if it’s right choice to ban TikTok for everyone for the sake of the security and privacy. And if so, isn’t it too late to take such action?
I think that data from normal users aren’t as sensitive as those from governments and it is right that governments are doing such actions to prevent the sensitive data from leaking to a foreign territory. However, people should be aware about how their data are used and processed.
Resources:
[1] https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-stats/#toc-2
[2] Reuters. TikTok admits using its app to spy on reporters in effort to track leaks [online]. 23.12.2022 [cit. 2023-03-15]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tiktok-bytedance-workers-fired-data-access-journalists
[3] PERKINS, Thomas. Internet 2.0 – military-grade cyber protection: TikTok analysis [online]. 17.7.2022 [cit. 2023-03-15]. Available at: https://internet2-0.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TikTok-Technical-Analysis-17-Jul-2022.-Media-Release.pdf
[4] Senator calls in Apple and Google to ban TikTok in App Stores [online]. 2.2.2023 [cit. 2023-03-15]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/technology/michael-bennet-tiktok-ban.html
[5] HERN, Alex. Canada bans TikTok on government devices over security risks [online]. 2.2.2023 [cit. 2023-03-15]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/28/canada-bans-tiktok-on-government-phones-devices-over-security-risks
