Nearly 690 million users use TikTok every month. In Poland, as many as 40% of people who have an account on this platform spend more than an hour a day watching and creating videos. However, by publishing them, they may unknowingly expose their sensitive data to danger. How can you maintain privacy while not giving up TikTok?
Why does TikTok raise concerns?
The issue of data security on TikTok has been raised, among other places, in the United States, where the army banned the installation of this app on employees' work phones. In India, the government completely blocked the ability to use the platform. Concerns are raised primarily by the fact that TikTok is an app originating from China. Companies in that country are obliged to provide the government with the information they collect. Although the company claims that user data is safe, some countries and organizations do not believe these assurances.
The youngest are unaware of the threats
The youngest are unaware of the threats
What may be worrying is the fact that the app is used mainly by children and teenagers. In Poland, 1 in 4 users is not yet 13 years old, and 90% are minors.
– The youngest users often do not have the appropriate skills to assess online threats and are not aware of the dangers. By recklessly sharing their image in photos and videos, as well as other sensitive data, they can become victims not only of edits or hate from peers, but also of cybercriminals. The information obtained in this way can be used for a personalized attack via SMS or email. This is how, for example, bank login details are extorted and malicious links are sent. This can also be a threat to parents who share devices with their children – points out Grzegorz Nocoń, systems engineer at Sophos.
How to take care of privacy?
1. Block the app's access to data it does not need
How to take care of privacy?
When first launched, every program asks for permission to access a lot of information on the smartphone, such as GPS location, address book, calendars, health data, etc. To limit the scope of data collected by the app, it is best to block all possibilities. In some cases, apps will then not work, but access to the camera and microphone is enough to record your own TikToks.
2. Change your account to private
By default, a new TikTok account is public. This means that the user has no control over who views the content they publish. Switching the account to private means that every new friend will have to be approved – this function works similarly to Instagram.
3. Don't let yourself be found
How to use TikTok safely? The most important privacy settings
By default, TikTok can promote the user's content across the entire platform, also beyond their followers. However, if the account in the app is not used for business, it is better to turn this option off. The profile will then also not appear in internet search engines, and videos will not be recommended to other people. As a result, to find a specific person's account, you will have to enter the username in the search bar.
4. Limit the ability to interact with videos
An important TikTok feature is recording duets and stitches. These are videos that refer to previously existing recordings. However, every user can block the ability to record compositions with their videos – thanks to this, private content will not be spread further. For the same purpose, the ability to download videos should be turned off. In the settings, you can also turn off (or limit only to followers) the ability to comment on recordings and send private messages.
5. Remember to protect the youngest
Family mode allows you to set up TikTok accounts in a parent-child relationship. This means that the guardian's phone can remotely control the child's account settings. You can also decide how much time the child will spend in the app. In addition, the parent can block the search for certain phrases, accounts and hashtags. It is also worth making sure that when creating an account, the child provides their real date of birth. Thanks to this, the app will apply additional filters and restrictions for minors.
Summary
Taking care of privacy on TikTok does not have to mean giving up an app used by nearly 690 million people monthly. The key steps include switching the account to private, blocking unnecessary permissions, and turning off duets and video downloads to limit uncontrolled content distribution.
Particular attention should be paid to children — in Poland, 90% of TikTok users are minors, who often do not assess online threats. Family mode allows guardians to remotely control the time spent in the app and block inappropriate content. It is also worth providing a real date of birth to activate additional safeguards for younger users.
