TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users (wired.com) 41
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: When TikTok users in the U.S. opened the app today, they were greeted with a pop-up asking them to agree to the social media platform's new terms of service and privacy policy before they could resume scrolling. These changes are part of TikTok's transition to new ownership. In order to continue operating in the U.S., TikTok was compelled by the U.S. government to transition from Chinese control to a new, American-majority corporate entity. Called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, the new entity is made up of a group of investors that includes the software company Oracle. It's easy to tap "agree" and keep on scrolling through videos on TikTok, so users might not fully understand the extent of changes they are agreeing to with this pop-up.
Now that it's under U.S.-based ownership, TikTok potentially collects more detailed information about its users, including precise location data. Here are the three biggest changes to TikTok's privacy policy that users should know about. TikTok's change in location tracking is one of the most notable updates in this new privacy policy. Before this update, the app did not collect the precise, GPS-derived location data of U.S. users. Now, if you give TikTok permission to use your phone's location services, then the app may collect granular information about your exact whereabouts. Similar kinds of precise location data is also tracked by other social media apps, like Instagram and X.
[...] Rather than an adjustment, TikTok's policy on AI interactions adds a new topic to the privacy policy document. Now, users' interactions with any of TikTok's AI tools explicitly fall under data that the service may collect and store. This includes any prompts as well as the AI-generated outputs. The metadata attached to your interactions with AI tools may also be automatically logged. [...] This change to TikTok's privacy policy may not be as immediately noticeable to users, but it will likely have an impact on the types of ads you see outside of TikTok. So, rather than just using your collected data to target you while using the app, TikTok may now further leverage that info to serve you more relevant ads wherever you go online. As part of this advertising change, TikTok also now explicitly mentions publishers as one kind of partner the platform works with to get new data.
Now that it's under U.S.-based ownership, TikTok potentially collects more detailed information about its users, including precise location data. Here are the three biggest changes to TikTok's privacy policy that users should know about. TikTok's change in location tracking is one of the most notable updates in this new privacy policy. Before this update, the app did not collect the precise, GPS-derived location data of U.S. users. Now, if you give TikTok permission to use your phone's location services, then the app may collect granular information about your exact whereabouts. Similar kinds of precise location data is also tracked by other social media apps, like Instagram and X.
[...] Rather than an adjustment, TikTok's policy on AI interactions adds a new topic to the privacy policy document. Now, users' interactions with any of TikTok's AI tools explicitly fall under data that the service may collect and store. This includes any prompts as well as the AI-generated outputs. The metadata attached to your interactions with AI tools may also be automatically logged. [...] This change to TikTok's privacy policy may not be as immediately noticeable to users, but it will likely have an impact on the types of ads you see outside of TikTok. So, rather than just using your collected data to target you while using the app, TikTok may now further leverage that info to serve you more relevant ads wherever you go online. As part of this advertising change, TikTok also now explicitly mentions publishers as one kind of partner the platform works with to get new data.
Oh really? (Score:5, Funny)
What a cohencidence!
Re: (Score:1)
Oh.
What about the funding they were getting from Likud...? Has that disappeared, or does Netanyahu actually still need an antagonist to keep the war going to avoid jail time...?
Happy now? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Happy now? (Score:4, Insightful)
Happy now?
Well, the new owners and the Administration probably are. Even more data in the hands of billionaire sycophants that will (probably) be enthusiastically turned over to the Feds whenever they ask. Can't wait to see how the relationship evolves if/when there's a democrat administration. Thankfully, I've never had a TikTok account and never will... And, in any case, I never put social media (or banking) apps on my phone.
Re:Happy now? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yep, the Maggots whined incessantly during the last presidential campaign about the Deep State. It turns out they were only concerned during a Democrat Administration. If their own Fascist Regime is setting up and controlling a Deep State, then they are as happy and docile as tree sloths.
Re:Happy now? (Score:4, Insightful)
They are so dumb and ignorant that they think being 'faithful' will somehow spare them from the same treatment.
Who'd have thunk that Homo Sovieticus has survived so well on trumpistani territory.
Re: (Score:2)
They are so dumb and ignorant that they think being 'faithful' will somehow spare them from the same treatment.
MAGA is an ever decreasing circle of those arbitrarily deemed "MAGA enough" (mainly by Trump) and past performance is no guarantee of future/continuing acceptance. (I imagine it's the same for all the White Nationalists in that group and ICE.)
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A story as old as the first mad king.
Uh where is the Wired article link? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Links to articles are appended to the title in parenthesis, (wired.com) in this case.
Unfortunately it's in a smaller font and thus easier to overlook.
Re: (Score:2)
Headline is wrong (Score:1)
The headline is wrong. It should be:
If you think that China wasn't previously collecting 100% of collectable data from American users of the system, you don't understand how China works.
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The headline is wrong. It should be:
If you think that China wasn't previously collecting 100% of collectable data from American users of the system, you don't understand how China works.
Like it matters anymore. China could have blatantly admitted to massive data collection over and over again in the EULA you never read.
Tends to make every argument about prior notification pointless and hypocritical.
0.01 (Score:2)
>"It's easy to tap "agree" and keep on scrolling through videos on TikTok, so users might not fully understand the extent of changes they are agreeing to with this pop-up. "
99.9% are going to click on agree immediately and start scrolling.
99.9% of those who actually choose to pull up the agreement don't understand it or what actually changed.
So maybe 0.01% of users might be giving informed agreement.
And yes, I just went through one of those on some other software- I was in the 0.1% who tried to read it,
Re: (Score:2)
>"Simple, don't give TikTok permission to use your phone's location services. Problem solved."
I was wondering that myself. But I have experience with a variety of apps and many will "request" location services and if you don't give it, then the app will simply not work at all (even though there is no reason it should stop working completely). So it really isn't a "request" or "option", it is a requirement. I believe that should be against the "rules" to program an app that way.
Re: 0.01 (Score:2)
It is against the rules, if the app doesn't have a legitimate reason to require it (as determined by Google, dunno about Apple)
I have complained to Google about a few apps, and in at least one case (Seek Thermal), caused an update to be issued removing the requirement. It still asks, but if you say no, it works anyway.
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I've seen this in some cases with apps/devices that legitimately use BLE or other location-adjacent services, and yes, Android puts this under the "location" umbrella, ostensibly because BT/BLE can be used to gather location data. So can other signals that aren't similarly "protected," but that's neither here nor there.
Many of the apps I've seen demanding location access and refusing to work without it don't use (or have no legitimate requirement to use) BLE. USB thermal camera app? Nope. Fast food app?
TL, DR..... (Score:1)
Don't. Use. Tik. Tok.
Ferret
What if this was the original plan to begin with? (Score:1)
Oracle ! Run away Run away (Score:2)