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Added Extensive List of Downloadable Data through the TikTok App/Website
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*Automatically collects unreasonable heaps of information to fingerprint the user:
*Automatically collects unreasonable heaps of information to fingerprint the user:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
:'''Technical Information we collect about you.''' We collect certain information about the device you use to access the Platform, such as your IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, model of your device, the device system, network type, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings and connected audio devices. [...]
:'''Technical Information we collect about you.''' We collect certain information about the device you use to access the Platform, such as your IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, model of your device, the device system, network type, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings and connected audio devices.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
:*"Keystroke patterns or rhythms" is particularly notable as the in-app browser has been demonstrated to listen to inputs from keyboard and screen, as well as injecting JavaScript code.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krause |first=Felix |date=Aug 18, 2022 |title=iOS Privacy: Announcing InAppBrowser.com - see what JavaScript commands get injected through an in-app browser |url=https://krausefx.com/blog/announcing-inappbrowsercom-see-what-javascript-commands-get-executed-in-an-in-app-browser#tiktok |access-date=Aug 14, 2025 |quote=While you are interacting with the website, TikTok subscribes to all keyboard inputs (including passwords, credit card information, etc.) and every tap on the screen, like which buttons and links you click.}}</ref>
:*"Keystroke patterns or rhythms" is particularly notable as the in-app browser has been demonstrated to listen to inputs from keyboard and screen, as well as injecting JavaScript code.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krause |first=Felix |date=Aug 18, 2022 |title=iOS Privacy: Announcing InAppBrowser.com - see what JavaScript commands get injected through an in-app browser |url=https://krausefx.com/blog/announcing-inappbrowsercom-see-what-javascript-commands-get-executed-in-an-in-app-browser#tiktok |access-date=Aug 14, 2025 |quote=While you are interacting with the website, TikTok subscribes to all keyboard inputs (including passwords, credit card information, etc.) and every tap on the screen, like which buttons and links you click.}}</ref>
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On Friday, August 2, 2024, the US sued TikTok, and its affiliates for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), and it's rules. The DOJ alleges TikTok collected, stored, and processed large amounts of data from millions of child users on its app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Nicole |date=5 Aug 2024 |title=U.S. Sues TikTok for Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Violations |url=https://www.hunton.com/hunton-retail-law-resource/u-s-sues-tiktok-for-childrens-online-privacy-protection-act-coppa-violations}}</ref>
On Friday, August 2, 2024, the US sued TikTok, and its affiliates for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), and it's rules. The DOJ alleges TikTok collected, stored, and processed large amounts of data from millions of child users on its app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Nicole |date=5 Aug 2024 |title=U.S. Sues TikTok for Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Violations |url=https://www.hunton.com/hunton-retail-law-resource/u-s-sues-tiktok-for-childrens-online-privacy-protection-act-coppa-violations}}</ref>
== Downloadable Data (required by Privacy Laws) ==
From the downloadable data from the hamburger menu in the account tab > "Settings and Privacy" > "Account" > "Download your data" and selecting "TXT" file format the data collected, the provided data,  as formatted at a directory level, includes:
* Your activity:
** Activity Summary (Videos Shared/Watched/Commented On)
** Ad Interests (Catagories of Ads selected as "Interested")
** Donations
** Fundraisers
** Hashtags (Used in public videos)
** Instant Form Ads Responses (Details inputted on forms on the bottom of some ads)
** Login History (Date, Time, IP, Device Model, Device System (OS), Network Type (Wi-Fi or Cellular), Carrier when opening app)'''*'''
** Most Recent Location Data (GPS Location, Local Time and Region, if 'Location' permission enabled)'''*'''
** Off TikTok Activity (Partner Apps Opened (e.g. eBay, Spotify, W3W)
** Purchaces (LIVE Gifts Given/Recieved)
** Searches (Timestamped Search History)
** Share History (Videos Shared Off-App)
** Status (App Version, Screen Resolution, Advertising ID and Device ID)'''*'''
** Watch History (Timestamped Watch History)
* Profile and Settings
** AI-Moji (Unsure)
** Autofill (Autofill of Instant Form Ads prompts with personal info)
** Block List (Time stamped list of users blocked)
** Follower (Time stamped list of who has followed you, including users with private following lists)
** Following (Time stamped list of who you have followed)
** Profile Information (Profile Photo, Profile Video, Username, Phone No., Email, Bio, Birthday, Gender, Likes Recieved, 3rd Party App connections (e.g. Google)
** Settings (User-Readable Config File of TikTok account settings)
* TikTok LIVE
** Go LIVE History
** Go LIVE Settings
** Watch LIVE History
** Watch LIVE Settings
* TikTok Shop
** Product Browsing History (Timestamped history of viewed items, and what shop sells the item)
** Product Reviews
** Return and Refunds History
** Saved Address Information
** Shopping Cart List
** Vouchers (Timestamps of vouchers offered/used)
** Communication With Shops (DMs to shops from the "Message Seller" option in TikTok Shop)
** Current Payment Information (Censored Debit/Credit Card Details linked to TikTok Shop Account)
** Customer Support History
** Order Dispute History
** Order History
* Comments (Every Comment ever left on ANY video)
* Direct Messages (Every DM sent either way)
* Income+ Wallet (Creator Rewards Wallet)
* Likes and Favourites
** Favourite:
*** Effects
*** Hashtags
*** Sounds
*** Videos
** Like List (Every Video Liked)
* Location Reviews
* Posts
** Posts (Every Posted Video with sound, settings and timestamp)
** Recently Deleted Posts
'''*Collected on App Open'''


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 22:08, 17 October 2025

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TikTok
Basic Information
Release Year 2016
Product Type Social media
In Production Yes
Official Website https://tiktok.com

TikTok is a social media platform developed by the Chinese internet technology company ByteDance Ltd. The app has been cited with numerous privacy concerns that eventually led to a US state ban in May 2023.[1]

Consumer impact summary

Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):

  • User Freedom
  • User Privacy
  • Business Model
  • Market Control

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.


User freedom

  • The app version requires an account to use the service.

User privacy

As per Privacy Policy:[2]

  • Automatically collects unreasonable heaps of information to fingerprint the user:
Technical Information we collect about you. We collect certain information about the device you use to access the Platform, such as your IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, model of your device, the device system, network type, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings and connected audio devices.
  • "Keystroke patterns or rhythms" is particularly notable as the in-app browser has been demonstrated to listen to inputs from keyboard and screen, as well as injecting JavaScript code.[3]

Incidents

Add one-paragraph summaries of incidents below in sub-sections, which link to each incident's main article while linking to the main article and including a short summary. It is acceptable to create an incident summary before the main page for an incident has been created. To link to the page use the "Hatnote" or "Main" templates.

If the company has numerous incidents then format them in a table (see Amazon for an example).

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.


Incident Year Background Info Aftermath Related Article Related Video
Violations of Children's Privacy Laws 2019-current In 2019, the US Department of Justice sued TikTok and parent company ByteDance as well as it's associated companies for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The companies knowingly allowed children under 13 to make accounts and unlawfully collected data and personal information of said children without parental consent.[5] TikTok, as of 2020, still has complains about allegedly still collecting and using personal data of children under 13. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/ftc-investigation-leads-lawsuit-against-tiktok-bytedance-flagrantly-violating-childrens-privacy-law
Suppressing "ugly", poor, or disabled creators 2020-present The Intercept published a report in 2020 stating that obtained internal documents from TikTok instructed moderators to limit the amount of videos with people who have "ugly facial looks". "abnormal body shape", or are in poor or dirty environments. The documents claim that these types of videos are "not the ideal video form of our platform"[6] A TikTok spokesperson stated that the guidelines were “an early blunt attempt at preventing bullying but are no longer in place"[7] The documents themselves

GDPR infringement Article Article 13(1)(f) & Article 46(1) GDPR (May. 2025)

On May 2, 2025 the Irish Supervisory Authority fines TikTok a total of €530 million for infringement of Articles 13(1)(f) GDPR and Article 46(1) GDPR. The Irish Supervisory Authority (SA) has ordered TikTok to suspend the transfer of data from users in the EEA to the People’s Republic of China and to bring its processing operations into compliance with Chapter V of the GDPR within a period of 6 months.[8]

On Friday, August 2, 2024, the US sued TikTok, and its affiliates for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), and it's rules. The DOJ alleges TikTok collected, stored, and processed large amounts of data from millions of child users on its app.[9]

Downloadable Data (required by Privacy Laws)

From the downloadable data from the hamburger menu in the account tab > "Settings and Privacy" > "Account" > "Download your data" and selecting "TXT" file format the data collected, the provided data, as formatted at a directory level, includes:

  • Your activity:
    • Activity Summary (Videos Shared/Watched/Commented On)
    • Ad Interests (Catagories of Ads selected as "Interested")
    • Donations
    • Fundraisers
    • Hashtags (Used in public videos)
    • Instant Form Ads Responses (Details inputted on forms on the bottom of some ads)
    • Login History (Date, Time, IP, Device Model, Device System (OS), Network Type (Wi-Fi or Cellular), Carrier when opening app)*
    • Most Recent Location Data (GPS Location, Local Time and Region, if 'Location' permission enabled)*
    • Off TikTok Activity (Partner Apps Opened (e.g. eBay, Spotify, W3W)
    • Purchaces (LIVE Gifts Given/Recieved)
    • Searches (Timestamped Search History)
    • Share History (Videos Shared Off-App)
    • Status (App Version, Screen Resolution, Advertising ID and Device ID)*
    • Watch History (Timestamped Watch History)
  • Profile and Settings
    • AI-Moji (Unsure)
    • Autofill (Autofill of Instant Form Ads prompts with personal info)
    • Block List (Time stamped list of users blocked)
    • Follower (Time stamped list of who has followed you, including users with private following lists)
    • Following (Time stamped list of who you have followed)
    • Profile Information (Profile Photo, Profile Video, Username, Phone No., Email, Bio, Birthday, Gender, Likes Recieved, 3rd Party App connections (e.g. Google)
    • Settings (User-Readable Config File of TikTok account settings)
  • TikTok LIVE
    • Go LIVE History
    • Go LIVE Settings
    • Watch LIVE History
    • Watch LIVE Settings
  • TikTok Shop
    • Product Browsing History (Timestamped history of viewed items, and what shop sells the item)
    • Product Reviews
    • Return and Refunds History
    • Saved Address Information
    • Shopping Cart List
    • Vouchers (Timestamps of vouchers offered/used)
    • Communication With Shops (DMs to shops from the "Message Seller" option in TikTok Shop)
    • Current Payment Information (Censored Debit/Credit Card Details linked to TikTok Shop Account)
    • Customer Support History
    • Order Dispute History
    • Order History
  • Comments (Every Comment ever left on ANY video)
  • Direct Messages (Every DM sent either way)
  • Income+ Wallet (Creator Rewards Wallet)
  • Likes and Favourites
    • Favourite:
      • Effects
      • Hashtags
      • Sounds
      • Videos
    • Like List (Every Video Liked)
  • Location Reviews
  • Posts
    • Posts (Every Posted Video with sound, settings and timestamp)
    • Recently Deleted Posts


*Collected on App Open

See also

References

  1. ↑ Archie, Ayana (May 18, 2023). "Montana becomes the first state to ban TikTok". NPR. Retrieved Aug 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Privacy Policy". TikTok. Retrieved Aug 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ Krause, Felix (Aug 18, 2022). "iOS Privacy: Announcing InAppBrowser.com - see what JavaScript commands get injected through an in-app browser". Retrieved Aug 14, 2025. While you are interacting with the website, TikTok subscribes to all keyboard inputs (including passwords, credit card information, etc.) and every tap on the screen, like which buttons and links you click.
  4. ↑ Sato, Mia (Jun 3, 2025). "TikTok will give advertisers even more data on trends and users". The Verge. Retrieved Jun 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Justice Department Sues TikTok and Parent Company ByteDance for Widespread Violations of Children's Privacy Laws". Justice.gov. 2024-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Biddle1 Ribero2 Dias3, Sam1 Paulo Victor2 Tatiana3 (2020-03-16). "Invisible Censorship". The Intercept.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Itimu, Kiruti (2020-03-17). "TikTok Apparently Suppressed Content From Ugly or Poor People". Techweez.
  8. ↑ Irish Supervisory Authority fines TikTok €530 million and orders corrective measures following Inquiry into transfers of EEA User Data to China (2025, Jul, 04). edpb.europa.eu. Retrieved Aug 16, 2025, from https://www.edpb.europa.eu/news/news/2025/irish-supervisory-authority-fines-tiktok-eu530-million-and-orders-corrective_en
  9. ↑ Johnson, Nicole (5 Aug 2024). "U.S. Sues TikTok for Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Violations".
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