How Much Data Does TikTok Collect? Know If Your Data Is Safe

TikTok has faced more than its fair share of security concerns, largely because of its Chinese connections. But how much data does TikTok collect? Is your user information safe? Here’s everything you need to know about how the app collects and uses your data. 

What Data Does TikTok Collect?

TikTok’s Privacy Policy fully explains how the platform collects, uses, shares, and processes user data. TikTok’s data mining process helps the app deliver a user-friendly and engaging experience. For example, TikTok collects your username and password to allow you access to your account.

The app also has a separate Privacy Policy for users who are minors (younger than 13 years). 

How TikTok collects extensive user data is not much different from how other platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, do it. In fact, it’s standard operating procedure (SOP) for most apps. 

Here’s a quick rundown of the kinds of information TikTok collects from users. 

Information a User Provides

You may provide certain types of information or allow TikTok to access personal or device data to fulfill certain requests. These types of information include:

• Personal information, including your name, username, password, birthday, email address, phone number, and other information you provide when you sign up
• Contact information, such as your phone and Facebook contact list, but only if you allow TikTok to access such data
• Data related to the content you create and view, including your language preferences, comments, and clipboard content (to fulfill data input requests)
• Information from messages when you send or receive communication to/from merchants via TikTok’s Direct Messaging (DM) function. This also includes message information when you use virtual assistants when making a purchase on the platform. 
• Purchase information, or information you provide when you make a purchase or payment on or through TikTok
• Proof of your identity or age, such as data on a valid government ID, for verification purposes
• Information you provide when you contact TikTok support or provide feedback 
• Information you provide when you participate in contests, surveys, challenges, marketing campaigns, etc., conducted on the platform

Information Which TikTok Collects Automatically

While considering whether TikTok is safe, you should keep in mind that the app automatically collects the following TikTok data to help it deliver a user-friendly experience:

• Usage information, such as the pages you visit, content interactions, posts you add to Favorites, browsing and search history, and keystroke patterns
• Inferred information, such as your gender, age range, and interests, so TikTok can personalize your content recommendation
• Technical information, including the device you use and your IP address, mobile carrier, time zone settings, operating system, audio settings, etc. 
• Approximate location information based on your IP address or SIM card data. TikTok may also collect GPS data if you enable location tracking. 
• Image and audio information from the videos you create using the in-app camera and upload to the platform
• Data from cookies that TikTok and its business partners use to analyze how you use the platform

Information From Third-Party Sources

The platform may also receive the following additional information from other third-party service providers:

• Publicly available information related to your other social accounts when you use a third-party network to sign up for or use TikTok. The app may also collect information on how to use another service if you link the service to your TikTok account. 
• User information and activity information that TikTok’s partners and affiliated entities may share with the app. These include data from advertisers and partner websites you visit. 
• Information other users provide when they tag you in a post, mention you in a complaint, etc. 
• Purchase information from merchants and payment providers. 

Does TikTok Steal Your Information?

How safe is your information on TikTok? The TikTok Ban Bill in the U.S. has led to rising concerns regarding TikTok user safety. But TikTok does not steal user data. There’s also no proof of TikTok selling data.  The specific types of information it collects are not a secret. TikTok’s Privacy Policy lists all the kinds of data the app accesses; it also explains how it uses the data.  

You can expect the same level of privacy and user safety on TikTok as you would on other social media platforms. Access to your data largely depends on how you manage your privacy settings and what information you share when you use apps. Any time you interact with other people online, remember to be careful with what you share about yourself. 

Does TikTok Track You?

TikTok does monitor user activities for the purpose of personalizing their For You feed experience. For example, the app keeps track of the videos you watch, skip, bookmark, or interact with and the pages you follow. These tracking activities help the algorithm learn more about your preferences and shape how it recommends content on your feed. 

Access to your device camera and microphone can only occur when you give the app permission or when you create content in-app. 

Are you’re worried about TikTok tracking you via third-party sites? The app’s Privacy Policy also specifies how it accesses certain user data from other sources. This may be considered as unauthorized monitoring, which may raise safety concerns regarding kids using TikTok. Unfortunately, it’s a common practice in most apps and online sites. The app’s disclosure regarding these activities exempt said activities as a data breach event.  

Can TikTok Track You Without an Account?

TikTok also collects data from people who use the platform without an account. Anybody can watch TikTok videos and use the app’s search tool as a guest. The platform may collect the guest user’s IP address, device type, browser type, and in-app activities. 

Again, these data collection activities are not unique to TikTok. Other social media companies, websites, and apps perform the same activities. 

TikTok Data Mining: Should You Be Worried?

There’s nothing unique about how TikTok collects and uses user information. How it accesses information from third-party sources and how it shares your data with business partners may be a cause for concern. These practices don’t constitute a data breach, however, because the app discloses such activities in its Privacy Policy. 

How much data does TikTok collect? This is an important question for regular users, content creators, and brands. It’s equally important to know the different ways that you can better manage your privacy when using the platform. 

If you need expert help managing your TikTok account and growing it securely, sign up for a High Social plan! Leverage High Social’s innovative and proprietary AI targeting solution to build a solid and properly targeted community.  

Start growing your TikTok today with High Social!

How Much Data Does TikTok Collect?: Frequently Asked Questions

Should you be worried about TikTok’s data mining practices? Is TikTok stealing data? Let’s answer a few more questions to help set your mind at ease. 

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