Whether you have ever used the social video-sharing app, TikTok, you have likely heard the story of its security saga. The video platform, which reaches tens of millions of users, was recently hit with a security breach that exposed the personal information of more than 100 million people. Now, the company is trying to put an end to the controversy by releasing new security features. But some users aren’t happy with the new changes.
Chinese ownership of TikTok
Several weeks ago, BuzzFeed reported that TikTok engineers were in China, where they collected Americans’ data. The report cited an Internet 2.0 study that found the data-gathering process on the app was “overly intrusive.”
In response to the report, TikTok said it was confident that it could satisfy the National Security Advisory Council’s concerns about its activities. The company also said it was working with a committee on foreign investment in the United States (CFIUS) to address the concerns.
However, a new report has emerged that could be a bigger issue for the company. A cybersecurity firm called Internet 2.0 has traced TikTok’s IP address to China. It found that the app collects more data than other social media platforms. The report also stated that TikTok’s data-gathering practices were more aggressive than that of its Chinese counterpart, WeChat.
The company’s security chief, Roland Cloutier, is stepping down. He will serve as an advisor to TikTok.
The report also claimed that the aforementioned “TikTok” was actually owned by Beijing Douyin Information Service Ltd., a Chinese firm that was formed in May. The company had previously admitted that it was Chinese Communist Party-owned.
It is still unclear whether the company’s data collection practices were legally mandated. But TikTok has always insisted that the data is stored outside of China.
The company has also claimed that it does not share sensitive user data with the Chinese government. In fact, ByteDance employees are only allowed to see non-sensitive TikTok user data.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding TikTok. One of the biggest questions revolves around the question of whether the Chinese government has access to U.S. citizens’ personal information.
Data practices
Throughout the past several years, TikTok’s data practices have raised a lot of questions about the company’s privacy policies. The company has been under investigation, sued, and has faced multiple government bans.
Despite these problems, the social media app has been able to avoid regulation. It has been working on a deal with the Biden administration to “fully safeguard” its U.S. users. It also plans to build new data security tools with Oracle.
The company has been accused of misrepresenting its data practices and spouting misinformation to lawmakers. It is also said to have used malicious methods to gather user data.
In an effort to regain the trust of its users, TikTok has been trying to clear up any potential problems with its data practices. It is now storing user data only in cloud servers located in the U.S., Singapore, and Virginia. It has also been working on limiting Chinese access to US user data. It has been in talks with the committee on foreign investment in the United States, which is tasked with vetting international deals.
It is also suspected that the Chinese government could access precise locations of users’ devices. The government may even be able to collect content from the app, such as in-app messages. It is unclear how the Chinese government could gain access to such data, though.
The FBI has also warned that the company might be a national security threat. A recent BuzzFeed report revealed that Chinese-based ByteDance employees had sweeping access to US users’ data.
TikTok has been working on a deal with the government that will prevent the Chinese government from accessing American data. The company has been working with Oracle on advanced data security tools, and hopes to have those tools complete in the near future.
Online grooming
Putting a kibosh on TikTok’s naughty list, the world’s largest social networking platform has had its fair share of mishaps. As such, the Department of Homeland Security launched a CSAM (Comprehensive Security Analysis of Mobile) sized investigation into the alleged thugs and jerks on its turf. The department said it took a good slew of the culprits off the street. Its a tough job, but the good guys are on the case. Some of the kinks are being ironed out in the name of transparency. Hopefully, those involved will get a little more sleep at night. Until then, the best way to stay safe online is to stick to the real world. It’s no secret that a social media app can be a hotbed for cyberbullying and stalking. Fortunately, the best way to combat this is to be prepared. Educate yourself on social media etiquette. This is especially true for teenagers. It’s a hard transition, but a little bit of education can go a long way. That’s a promise you can count on from the TikTok CEO.
Bullying and harassment
Hundreds of millions of TikTok users have experienced a form of bullying. The platform has a Terms of Service that prohibits postings that are intended to antagonize, provoke, or scare. It has also changed its rules in May, making the content moderation process more rigorous.
A woman in the military started a conversation about online harassment of her fellow military service members. She called out one of her male colleagues for harassing women on the platform. The saga of the TikTok security rumor went all the way to the White House, where the Department of Defense (DoD) decided to stop allowing its personnel to use the service.
The military rushed to put out social media policies to deal with harassment. While the military had no data on how often reprimands or prosecutions were filed, it did collect the data on searches for “online harassment.”
Unlike other social media sites, TikTok seemed to collect more data than any other platform. In the past, TikTok instructed moderators to hide videos against the Tiananmen Square, Taiwan independence, and Beijing orthodoxy.
However, it’s important to note that the TikTok account did not remove the videos. Rather, it only reversed its decision when FOX 2 got involved.
What the media does not report is how the DoD came up with the data. The military did not answer a Federal News Network request for the statistics. It has also not provided data on the aforementioned aforementioned.
There is a lot of controversy about how to handle harassment on social media. The DoD has a reputation as being ostrich when it comes to online harassment.
Hopefully, the lesson learned is that there is a lot more to online harassment than what the DoD has been saying. It can also be difficult to detect, particularly if the person responsible is anonymous.
National security concerns
Earlier this year, TikTok entered the spotlight with a national security saga. This popular video-sharing app has been under scrutiny due to concerns about its ability to collect user data, which could help the Chinese government spy on Americans.
The company is owned by ByteDance, a firm with Chinese ties. As a result, it is under review by the Commerce Department. The US government has long warned against technology firms with ties to China operating in the country.
Last week, BuzzFeed News reported that TikTok had hired at least two employees who worked in China. According to the report, these workers had access to “sensitive” U.S. user data, which could be used to blackmail individuals.
A letter from the TikTok general manager addressed these concerns, stating that the company was committed to safeguarding users’ privacy and would do everything in its power to protect their data. It also outlined steps that the company would take to ensure user data was secure.
Currently, TikTok has over one billion active users. This means that it is a major part of the American public’s communication and culture. This has also created new concerns for the U.S..
Federal officials are worried that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans. It is also possible that the Chinese government could use the data to create misinformation campaigns. In addition, Beijing could use the data to control software on millions of devices. The company could also censor political content.
The FBI director has voiced his concerns about TikTok, saying the app poses a “national security threat” and that the FBI’s foreign investment unit is involved in a separate investigation.