TikTok tracks you EVEN when you are NOT using it!

The US Congress is meeting to ban TikTok for "security reasons", but should they?
If you have TikTok or know anyone who does you should watch this!

0:00 Should TikTok be banned? What you need to know
1:28 Does TikTok spy on your Google web searches?
5:59 Does TikTok spy on other apps on your phone?
8:44 Does TikTok use your location to show you content?
10:05 What can you do about TikTok to protect yourself and your data?

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TikTok - It's much WORSE than you think!

[lastpreacher]

Once online, privacy ends. Bottom line.

[LironSegev]

Let's talk about a couple of things:
1. Yes - most apps like Facebook/ Instagram/ Google, especially if they sell ads, track your activities. Not just TikTok.
TikTok however, goes above and beyond and is not only tracking what you do inside the app, but what you do outside of it.
There are several studies and whitepapers that show that TikTok is by far much more aggressive when collecting data vs. other social media apps.

This is NOT about ads either. It's about content manipulation.

Imagine you searched for "marriage counseling" and now TikTok starts showing you videos all about how divorce is great. That has an impact on you. The same goes for depression. Religion. Politics.
TikTok should NOT know that you even read up about your local Politician and therefore show you only videos based on their political views.

2. There are loads of security researchers who say that TikTok looks at your facial expressions, and reads your emails, and keystrokes etc. etc. Some have been found to be true, while others are false. I don't deal with "conspiracy theories". So I test what I can and show it.

3. I want to be clear: leave your politics out of it. I don't care about your Republicans vs. Democrats. The world has many countries. The US is just one of them. Yes, it's concerning that the data can be accessed by China. But let's be honest, this isn't anything that any other country can't access with their law enforcement agencies with the right warrants.

As always, I show you what I found. Its up to you to make a decision that is right for you.
Be nice to each other and respect each other's views even if they are different to yours.
We have enough crap in this world - let's be decent humans here.

[Amir_]

Something that I learned from Watch Dogs 2 is that "People don't care how it works, just that It does..."
People need to start caring.

[Stache]

Facebook does the same, I'm constantly resetting my advertising ID, and find ads relevant to locations where my IP is located (320 Mike's away) and things like articles in the Google feed have related to past searches

[michaelelkin]

Thanks. If TikTok can do this imagine what Apple and Google can, and do on their phones. I don't blame anybody other than Google or Apple or the OS developer for controlling, or not controlling what an app has access to. I don't think TicTok is a security risk. It does show just how much of a security risk your mobile OS is. Notice how nobody is banning or complaining about those.

[tubodie]

The question shouldn't be whether TikTok does EXACTLY what they say they do, the question is does TikTok do anything they do not say they do, or worse, anything they explicitly say they do not do. I would love to see a follow-up experiment with basic privacy and security settings properly configured, both in the app and on the phone. TikTok (or any other app) harvesting every bit of data I allow, shame on me; TikTok (or any other app) harvesting even one bit of data I have chosen not to share, shame on them.

[livewebcastproduction]

"The data collected by TikTok is owned by the company, ByteDance, which is based in China. This means that the data is subject to Chinese laws and regulations, including those related to government surveillance and data sharing". Yikes, glad I have never used TikTok!

[mr.techie]

I have had nothing do do with TikTok, as well as Facebook, Instagram, and many others. I'm so glad!

[lilafromyoutube]

it all makes sense now! i went to a concert last week and the next day my FYP was filled with videos of that same concert. i loved it though because it is exactly what I want my FYP to show me 😂 but extending this to other pieces of information about our life is... kinda wild.

[muchomusica]

You're a genius! Thanks so much for keeping us informed!

[Shadowcat]

I also think our smart devices are 'listening.' Too many 'coincidences.' Thanks for this great info.

[rsn]

Google tracks the locations and listens what we speak. I have got ads for things that I never searched but just after talking about it near the phone

[kinsley]

VTech had nothing on TikTok …
I’d like to hear your take on letting small children use cheap “kiddy cams” from Amazon … I became Grinchesse this past Christmas when I refused to let a 4 year old use one that had an irreversible need to be on Wi-Fi … it was buried in a free game that required their face to be seen thru the selfie mode …
I was building PCs on Mom’s dining room table in the 80’s, and I’ve become the original cynic ; aka realist
love your work

[V-ICR]

I have never installed TikTok or created a TikTok account.

[NitrixUzumaki]

Sometimes I feek tik tok reads my mind.... what I want to watch pops up. Even when Im talking to my friend about something, that same topic pops up😭

[bobl]

No Tik Tok here, and yet I have the same results from the apps on my phone. I have spoken with people about something and within a few days I will receive news stories and ads related to what we talked about.
I have turned off all settings that should allow this, yet it still happens. I wish it was just Tik Tok and China.

[blakerhyan]

Very interesting video.
I just wish you had also shown the best way to go about deleting our TikTok accounts to remove as much data as possible. Would definitely watch more videos like this about other apps that collect data that they really have no business knowing.

[brucemckenna]

Without a doubt the BEST Tech information channel on Youtube. Thank you once again Liron. Cheers from Australia.

[ridgebackpups]

YouTube, Facebook others all do the same thing. One time I was talking to a friend at lunch about something I never searched & boom I was getting ads. I now say no to all cookies

[xXxChaosxXx]

So is every other app such as FB, SC, IG etc… 👎🏻🤦🏻‍♀️