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It’s no secret that social media platforms know a lot about their users, but it gets even worse in the case of TikTok. It’s bad enough that the FCC commissioner is calling for the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok to be removed from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
The FCC wants TikTok to go away
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to remove TikTok from their app stores. Carr tweeted his request along with a copy of the letter he sent to the two CEOs.
“TikTok is not just another video app. It’s the sheepskin,” Carr wrote in his post:
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TikTok is not just another video app. This is the sheepskin.
It collects pieces of sensitive data that new reports say are accessible in Beijing.
I’ve called on @Apple and @Google to remove TikTok from their app stores because of its pattern of secretive data practices. pic.twitter.com/Le01fBpNjn
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) June 28, 2022
Tiktok poses an unacceptable national security risk because of all the data it collects, which is stored in Beijing, according to Carr’s letter (TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based in Beijing).
TikTok collects search and browsing history, facial identification, voiceprints, texts, location and photos. It’s all there in black and white as part of TikTok’s privacy policy, which you can read here.
Carr says ByteDance is required by Chinese law to comply with China’s surveillance requirements, which give them access to the data it collects. No other popular software spies to this extent, and there is no way to block the app from collecting data.
RELATED: Facebook Tracks Your Every Move – Here’s the Proof
Throwing down the gauntlet
If Apple and Google don’t remove TikTok from their app stores, Carr demands they tell him how the app doesn’t violate the privacy policies outlined in their app stores. The letter is dated June 24, and Carr expects a response by July 8.
Carr cited Apple removing an app called Adware Doctor from its App Store for collecting data and sending it to China as a precedent for removing TikTok. And Google recently removed “dozens” of apps for violating its privacy policies.
Where is all this TikTok data stored?
TikTok recently boasted that the app has 1 billion monthly active users. According to Carr’s letter, the app was downloaded 19 million times this quarter. All this data needs to be stored somewhere.
TikTok has long claimed to store all US user data in the US, with a backup in Singapore.
According to a recent statement from the company, TikTok is working with US tech giant Oracle “to better protect our application, systems and user data security in the US” and that “100% of user traffic in the US is routed to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.”
Data centers in the US and Singapore will still be used for backups, but the company says it will delete personal data of US users from its data centers to “fully target Oracle cloud servers located in the US.” .
Who can see all this data?
According to a 2019 TikTok post, the company’s data centers are located outside of China, so none of them are subject to Chinese law.
“We are not influenced by any foreign government, including the Chinese government; TikTok does not operate in China, nor do we intend to in the future,” the statement said.
In his letter to Google and Apple, Carr said that storing user data on Oracle servers based in the US did not address his concerns. Beijing still has access to this data.
Carr also referred to a report by Buzzfeed which claimed that leaked audio from TikTok meetings in China revealed that its engineers did indeed have access to data from the US.
What should you do about it?
There’s only one thing to do. Remove TikTok from your phone immediately. Even if you don’t create content in the app, the company still collects data about you.
Remove TikTok from your iPhone
- Tap and hold the TikTok app.
- Tap Remove App.
- Tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm.
Remove TikTok from your Android phone
- Open the Google Play app.
- At the top right, tap the profile icon.
- Tap Manage apps and devices, then tap Manage.
- Tap the TikTok app.
- Tap Uninstall.
Log into a virtual private network
A virtual private network, or VPN, provides a layer of security between your devices and the internet. It hides your IP address and location and encrypts your data.
A VPN protects you and your online traffic from eavesdropping and interference by hackers, governments, and even your ISP. VPNs keep your online activity private and allow you to access sites and services that may be restricted in certain areas.
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