TikTok is arguably, for better or worse, the most popular social media app these days. But while hordes of people are flocking to TikTok without a care in the world, current and potential users need to focus less on those viral challenges that seem to come up every week and divert all their attention on how this popular China-based app is worryingly dangerous when it comes to your personal data, privacy, and the censorship of content.
Speaking of TikTok, the GOAT team talk about how the app could usher in a new era for music on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
If you take a look at TikTok’s privacy policy page, it freely admits to collecting as much of your data as possible – such as metadata, GPS location, contact information from your social media and phone – and using it however they want should you decide to create an account.
This already sounds awful, but it gets deep into dangerous territory when you look deeper into how badly TikTok infringes on your privacy in what it does with your personal data.
TikTok has come under legal fire for allegedly gathering “vast quantities” of user data in secret and sending it to servers in China. Furthermore, the social media app been slapped with a multi-million dollar fine for collecting data of kids under 13. But the rotten cherry on top of this mouldy TikTok cake is how predators are using the app to target kids, forcing police to urge parents to double-check the platform’s privacy settings.
TikTok isn’t just China’s personal data harvesting farm either as the platform has some seriously problematic issues regarding the censorship of content.
We already know that TikTok actively suppresses content from users deemed to be too ugly or poor, but that only scratches the surface as leaked moderation guidelines reveal how China painstakingly curates and censors content that paints Beijing in an unflattering light.
And last but certainly not least, the TikTok’s security has more flaws and vulnerabilities than a fly screen door. Just in 2020, it has been reported that TikTok still has serious vulnerabilities that allow hackers to control accounts to share videos or view private content. There’s also a second reported flaw that allows attackers to harvest personal data from TikTok accounts straight from the platform’s website.
With social media being arguably the most powerful tool in the world right now, it’s almost as if China is using TikTok as some sort of propaganda tool to shape things in a way that benefits them while subtly controlling everyone through backdoor data collection and monitoring.
So if you’re thinking of getting TikTok, maybe seriously consider doing literally anything else instead unless you want to jump on a platform that actively censors content to fit China’s narrative, leaks your private personal data like a sieve, and has enough security holes to make you develop trypophobia.
For those who have TikTok, seriously think about deleting your account ASAP unless you think being subtly manipulated by China is a small price to pay for content relating to those goofy viral challenges.
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