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How Much Data Does TikTok Pull From Your Account (In The Loop)

Introduction

In this episode of In The Loop, people seeking Health Care shouldn't be surprised by their medical bills. A new law requiring hospitals to display the cost of procedures upfront aims to address this issue. However, hospital compliance still poses challenges for patients. Additionally, a new News documentary examines how the planet's plastic pollution is worsening, particularly in developing nations, and highlights the failure of global recycling systems. All these stories and more are coming your way in the next hour.

First, let's dive into the persistent concerns surrounding TikTok, the popular app among younger users. While not in the news for viral memes or dance crazes this time, TikTok continues to raise national security concerns. Recent bipartisan efforts aim to ban or impose tighter regulations on the app due to worries over data collection and potential access by the Chinese government.

National Security Concerns

The Trump Administration previously threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S. in 2020, leading the company to migrate U.S. user data to servers owned by Oracle, a U.S. company. Recently, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, expressed his hesitation to let his kids use TikTok, describing it as “literally like a Communications Network for the Chinese Communist party.” Similar concerns were echoed by FBI Director Christopher Wray in a November Congressional hearing.

TikTok's Structure

TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has repeatedly denied any influence over U.S. content moderation or government interference. However, there have been reports, including from The Washington Post, that the Chinese government played a hand in preventing TikTok from being sold to an American company and has required the company to share its algorithm with the domestic Chinese counterpart. BuzzFeed News also revealed that U.S. TikTok user data had been accessed from China, although it remains unclear if the Chinese government directly accessed this data.

What Data Does TikTok Collect?

TikTok collects extensive user data, including profile information, device details, location, IP address, search history, messages, and viewing habits. This is consistent with data collection practices of other tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Instagram. However, concerns escalate when considering China's potential access to this data.

TikTok's data privacy policy indicates that the app gathers a variety of user data, including but not limited to, name, age, date of birth, phone number, email, profile photo and video, technical information like IP address, mobile carrier, device model, screen resolution, battery state, audio settings, and keystroke patterns.

A Canberra-based company, Internet 2.0, examined TikTok's source code and found that TikTok engages in "device mapping", collecting data on other apps installed on the phone and creating a diagram of the device.

National Security Implications

The national security implications if the Chinese government accesses U.S. user data include concerns about information manipulation. For example, in 2019, protests in Hong Kong were heavily censored on TikTok’s Chinese version, Douyin. In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that keywords related to LGBTQ+, among others, were also restricted on the platform.

Shadow banning, where a user’s post is visible to them but not to others, is another form of manipulation leading to these security concerns.

Potential Regulations and Solutions

Regulating TikTok or enhancing its oversight could involve focusing on data privacy policies that govern social media more broadly. This structural solution could prevent similar issues in the future. Europe has implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which offers comprehensive privacy protections and could serve as a model.

Additionally, U.S. lawmakers are concerned about former intelligence officers working for TikTok. Agencies such as the CIA and FBI monitor these individuals to prevent misuse of skills and the transfer of sensitive information. However, current claims show that tighter post-employment restrictions may be necessary for companies posing significant national security risks.

Senator Warner and Congressman Adam Schiff have both acknowledged the concerning trend and the importance of retaining top-tier talent within U.S. intelligence agencies.

Conclusion

As the debate over TikTok’s data practices and potential national security risks continues, regulatory authorities and lawmakers need to find a balance between protecting user privacy and considering the global digital landscape. With comprehensive privacy policies and regulations, future issues with social media companies can be addressed more effectively.

Keywords

  • TikTok
  • Data Privacy
  • National Security
  • ByteDance
  • Data Collection
  • Device Mapping
  • Shadow Banning
  • GDPR
  • U.S. Intelligence Agencies

FAQ

1. What data does TikTok collect? TikTok collects user data including profile information (name, age, date of birth, phone number, email), device information (IP address, mobile carrier, device model, etc.), and user activity (search history, viewing habits, location, etc.).

2. Why is there concern over TikTok's data collection? Concerns arise because ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is Chinese-owned. There is fear that the Chinese government could access this data for purposes detrimental to U.S. national security.

3. What is "device mapping"? Device mapping is a practice where TikTok retrieves data on other running apps on your device and gathers information about them, essentially creating a detailed map of your device's activity.

4. What is shadow banning? Shadow banning is a type of censorship where a user's post is visible to them but invisible to other users. This form of content moderation can be used to suppress certain viewpoints without users knowing.

5. What are the proposed solutions to these issues? One proposed solution is implementing comprehensive data privacy policies like Europe's GDPR. This would create a structural approach to protect user data and address potential risks across social media platforms.

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