According to a new cybersecurity report from Feroot, TikTok (and other companies like Google and Meta) can collect data on people without them even having or using their app. This is done through the use of “pixels”, which is code from a company that is loaded and run when people visit arbitrary websites. These pixels are linked to data harvesters that immediately scrape the website for information – including usernames, passwords, credit cards, and health data. This data is then transferred around the world to places such as China and Russia. This process also typically occurs without asking for the user’s consent.
TikTok has responded to recent threats of banning by storing US information with US companies and regulating access through US citizens. They have also started the process of using third party vetting and verification for their data storage policies.
