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A detailed look at how TikTok (ByteDance) collects, stores, and uses your personal data.
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Terrible
TikTok (ByteDance)'s privacy score of 8/100 reflects their data collection practices, transparency, incident history, and user control options. This score indicates significant privacy concerns that users should be aware of.
In 2022, Forbes revealed that ByteDance employees in China accessed US TikTok user data, including journalists' location data, to track them and identify their sources, directly contradicting TikTok's congressional testimony.
TikTok was fined 345 million euros by the Irish DPC in 2023 for violating children's privacy under GDPR, including making children's accounts public by default and exposing minors to risks.
In 2020, TikTok was caught secretly reading iPhone clipboard contents every few seconds, including passwords and sensitive data, exposed by an iOS 14 privacy feature that notified users of clipboard access.
The US government passed legislation in 2024 requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban, citing national security concerns over Chinese government access to American user data.
In 2021, TikTok settled a $92 million class-action lawsuit over collecting biometric data, including face and voiceprints, without user consent in violation of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act.
TikTok's data collection is deeply embedded in its core functionality, making meaningful opt-out extremely difficult without deleting the app entirely. If you choose to continue using TikTok, go to Profile > Menu > Settings and Privacy > Privacy. Set your account to Private to limit who sees your content. Under 'Personalization and Data,' disable 'Personalized Ads' and turn off all ad-related data sharing options. Go to 'Download Your Data' first to understand what TikTok has collected. Under Settings > Privacy > Interactions, restrict who can comment, duet, stitch, and send you messages. Disable 'Suggest your account to others' under Privacy. Turn off Location Services for TikTok in your phone's settings (both iOS and Android) to prevent GPS tracking, though TikTok will still approximate location via IP address. Revoke access to your Contacts and address book in your phone's app permission settings. On iOS, enable 'Ask App Not to Track' to limit cross-app tracking. Disable microphone and camera access when not actively recording. Crucially, avoid using TikTok's built-in browser for any external links, as it injects tracking JavaScript. Instead, copy links and open them in a privacy-focused browser. Clear TikTok's cache regularly through the app settings. Be aware that even with all these settings, TikTok collects keystroke patterns, device fingerprints, and behavioral data that cannot be disabled within the app. For genuine privacy, the only effective measure is to delete TikTok entirely, request data deletion through TikTok's privacy portal, and avoid any ByteDance products. If you must watch TikTok content, view it through a web browser with tracking protection rather than the app.
Looking for a privacy-respecting alternative to TikTok (ByteDance)? We recommend:
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