![]() If the federal government comes to the conclusion that TikTok should be banned, is it even possible to ban it for all of its 150 million existing users? Any such ban would likely start with blocking the distribution of the app through Apple’s and Google’s app stores. It could be that the algorithm’s manipulative behavior is unintentional, but there is concern that the Chinese government has been using or could use the algorithm to influence people. There are numerous allegations that TiKTok’s algorithm is biased and can reinforce negative thoughts among younger users, and be used to affect public opinion. The algorithm could be biased in a way that influences a population to believe certain things. TikTok has not shared its algorithm, so it’s not clear how the app chooses a user’s content. TikTok and most social media apps have algorithms designed to learn a user’s interests and then try to adjust the content so the user will continue to use the app. government has raised is algorithm bias or algorithm manipulation. READ MORE: France bans TikTok, Twitter from government staff phones amid security concerns government agencies and corporations, and much of that hacking has been facilitated by social engineering – the practice of using data about people to trick them into revealing more information. The Chinese government has an extensive history of hacking U.S. The Justice Department is investigating TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, for using the app to monitor U.S. One potential threat is the Chinese government using the data to spy on people, particularly people who have access to valuable information. The Chinese government is known for playing the long game, and data is power, so if it is collecting data, it could take years to learn how it benefits China. The government could share it with other companies in China to help them profit, which is no different than U.S. If the data does end up in the hands of the Chinese government, the question is how could it use the data to its benefit. There is also a concern about the algorithms used by TikTok to show content. government worried about TikTok? First, they worry about the Chinese government accessing data from its 150 million users in the U.S. If most apps collect data, why is the U.S. There has been speculation that TikTok is collecting other information, but that is hard to prove. The company claims that current versions of the app do not collect GPS information from U.S. This information includes location data, data from your clipboard, contact information, website tracking, plus all data you post and messages you send through the app. There are a few items of interest in TikTok’s privacy policy besides the information you give them when you create an account – name, age, username, password, language, email, phone number, social media account information and profile image – that are concerning. ![]() The document is too long to list here all the data it collects, which should be a warning. Overall, the company is not particularly transparent about its practices. So what makes TikTok different from the likes of Pokemon-GO, Facebook or even your phone itself? TikTok’s privacy policy, which few people read, is a good place to start. The questions this use of data raises are: Does the app need all this data? What does it do with the data? And how does it protect the data from others? This revenue typically comes from targeting users with ads based on the data they collect. However, most apps collect data that the companies use in part to fund their operations. ![]() Sometimes the data is used to improve the app for users. WATCH: TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical lawmakers on safety, contentīut a full ban of the app is another matter, which raises a number of questions: What data privacy risk does TikTok pose? What could the Chinese government do with data collected by the app? Is its content recommendation algorithm dangerous? And is it even possible to ban an app? Vacuuming up dataĪs a cybersecurity researcher, I’ve noted that every few years a new mobile app that becomes popular raises issues of security, privacy and data access.Īpps collect data for several reasons. This type of ban can be effective for protecting data related to government work. ![]() The federal government, along with many state and foreign governments and some companies, has banned TikTok on work-provided phones. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23, 2023, amid a chorus of calls from members of Congress for the federal government to ban the Chinese-owned video social media app and reports that the Biden administration is pushing for the company’s sale. ![]()
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