By Kayla DeKraker
TikTok recently created new terms and conditions for U.S. users, stirring up controversy and privacy concerns.
While many people just accept apps’ terms without actually reading them, it is important to know what you’re agreeing to. In this new case, you may be giving TikTok more of your information than you realize.
TikTok’s new Terms and Conditions page says that users agree that the app can “Use your name, profile image and username when you interact with ads and sponsored content…To enable these features, you give us permission to use your name, profile image and username, in connection with ads, sponsored gifts, offers, and other branded or sponsored content that you interact with, without any compensation to you, unless we have entered into a separate commercial agreement with you with respect to a specific promotion or advertisement.”
The new terms also allow TikTok to access private user information.
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People on social media expressed their outrage.
“I deleted TikTok due to the new terms,” one person said on X. “It’s scary when you read into it. They can have your geolocation…save data about your health, sexuality, political beliefs.”
International Business Times UK reported that the social media platform saw a 150% increase in uninstalls over the last week.
Calli Schroeder, senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told Huff Post, “The alarm is a fair reaction. People are unaware of how much information these companies get from them, either directly or from inferences. And…people are really unaware of how these companies are able to use and share this information.”
Even more concerning is the update to the app’s location tracking services. TikTok can track users’ approximate or precise locations unless the setting is turned off.
Schroeder said, “Any location tracking has risks to it. SIM card and IP address tracking…will reveal, a state, maybe a city that you’re in. Precise geolocation data at times can reveal the specific address you’re at.”
In order to turn off this concerning feature, you open the TikTok app, tap Menu, then go to Settings and privacy. Select Privacy, followed by Location Services, where you can choose how much location access to allow.
You can also control location tracking at the device level. For instance, on an iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services. From there, select an app such as TikTok and toggle Precise Location on or off.
Deleting your TikTok or at least checking over your settings is a good choice for your privacy.
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