Enthusiasts from around the world, who love tinkering with software on phones and tablets, have reached a consensus regarding a new service. According to experts, TikTok steals personal information from smartphones. This message might have been ignored if only 2-3 people had reported it. However, dozens of programmers posted their evidence on social networks. And this problem quickly gained global attention.
TikTok Steals Personal Information from Smartphones
The issue is not just about collecting data related to the hardware of electronics, as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter do. Interestingly, they do not hide this – it is clearly stated in the license agreement for the applications. Social projects need this information to adapt the app to the device hardware. But TikTok shamelessly builds a tunnel to its server, through which it freely retrieves the following types of information:
- Smartphone hardware (device ID, processor type, memory size, screen resolution, etc.).
- Used applications (installed, removed, running, frequently launched).
- Network settings data (IP, MAC, router ID and wireless settings, LTE type).
- GPS positioning (current location, route, saved places).
- User’s address book, contact numbers, birthdays, ringtones.
Basically, TikTok is a spy program that discredits the owner of the smartphone. And this is not the first warning, but a serious security issue that needs urgent resolution. Naturally, if the owner of a tablet or phone values their personal privacy.
Is the service really that bad?
On the other hand, TikTok steals personal information from smartphones that the owner does not even hide. GPS navigation is known to Google, as well as the address book, which automatically syncs with any device. And by the way, it helps the owner if they lose or break their phone. All other data is generally of little interest. The main thing is to get internet access. And what routing is used there is not important. The router cannot be remotely broken by the received information.
In general, we are waiting for someone among smartphone owners to decide to sue the Chinese service TikTok. Most likely, the first to act will be Americans, who are currently engaged in a trade war with Huawei. Why not remove the competitor to YouTube from the IT services market?
