TikTok Is ‘Cloning’ Your Phone and Stealing Your Data
By Movieguide® Contributor
The Capitol’s Office of Cybersecurity instructed all staff to delete any ByteDance products on their devices last month, and USA Today Cybersecurity expert Kim Komando says you should do the same.
Komando reported Aug. 8, “If you think the ByteDance paranoia is overblown, here’s the laundry list of data you give up every time you scroll TikTok: Your name, age, username, email address, password, phone number and location. Your IP address, cellphone carrier, time zone, the model of your device and the OS you use.”
Other data the app takes include biometrics, facial ID and voiceprints, message contents, purchase information, and activities on other websites, stores, or apps. Also, file names and their types, keystroke patterns, most-visited web pages and boarded items are at risk. It records objects and scenery that appear in watched videos, such as tourist attractions or shops.
Movieguide® reported Aug. 1:
The New York Post said July 30, “ByteDance products will be blocked and removed on House-managed devices, starting with mobile devices. If you have a ByteDance application on your House-managed mobile device, you will be contacted to remove it,’ the notice to staff explained.”
“Tuesday’s message to House offices increases pressure on members and staff who may still be using ByteDance apps. In addition to TikTok, it includes the popular video-editing app CapCut, which can be used to edit Instagram reels and YouTube shorts,” Roll Call reported.
“The amount of data TikTok collects is so extensive that it can come dangerously close to cloning your entire phone,” Komando said.
But ByteDance isn’t the only Chinese company that harbors tons of personal data.
“Temu’s tagline – ‘Shop like a billionaire’ – refers to the low, low prices on everything from clothing to home goods to electronics. Though the company is based in the U.S., Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, which is based in China. And that company also owns Pinduoduo, which was removed from the Google Play store for containing malware,” USA Today said.
Temu can track activity across other apps, track notifications, read private messages and change settings. With additional enabled options, it can also see contacts, calendars, photos, social media accounts and texts.
It is infamous for its insecure payment system, allowing for or keeping or selling payment information to fraudulent parties, resulting in mysterious fraud charges for its customers.
Customer service is also unresponsive, and users often have trouble with orders.
“They’re making delivery promises, and people aren’t getting their stuff when they’re supposed to be,” Melanie McGovern, the director of public relations and social media for the BBB, told TIME in 2022.
Security.org added it shares “a mindblowing amount of your data and information.”
USA Today’s cybersecurity expert says if you have any ByteDance or Temu apps, delete them.
If you must use TikTok, she suggests users install it on an old device that isn’t connected to personal information like messages, emails or bank info.
And don’t use it on your own Wi-Fi network. Buy a cheap data plan or use a guest network.
Then, “ask yourself if those videos, photo editing tools and cheap goods are really worth all the trouble,” Komando says.
