How to Protect Personal Information on TikTok
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By Farrukh Mushtaq
Farrukh Mushtaq
See author profileFarrukh Mushtaq, a digital marketer at PureSquare, possesses a keen interest in cybersecurity and enjoys writing about it. With several years of experience in the digital marketing industry, he brings expertise and passion to his work.
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28 August 2024
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12 mins read
Table of Content
Table of Contents
Have you ever wondered how much of your private data TikTok may be hiding?
Millions of users and a never-ending flow of data might make one feel exposed.
This guide explains simple and easy methods to enhance your privacy on TikTok and ensure that your online activity belongs to you.
How Does TikTok Collect Your Data?
TikTok gathers a lot of information from its audience. This includes more specific information like your location, surfing history, device information, and more general information like your name, email address, and phone number.
The app also gathers information about how you use the platform's content. This information targets adverts, enhances the app's functionality, and customizes your TikTok experience.
Types of Information TikTok Gathers
Like many other social media platforms, TikTok gathers much of your data to target adverts and customize content. The following are some of the main categories of data it collects:
| Account Information | Syncing your contacts with TikTok collects basic account information such as your username, email address, phone number, password, age, gender, and interests and preferences. |
| Device Identifiers | Special codes that let you know what device you have is also recorded in their database. |
| In-App Activity | TikTok collects data about your app use, the videos you watch, and your chat with others. |
| Search History | It tracks the keywords you look up on TikTok that are stored in your search history |
| Purchase via App | If you make any purchases through the app, they are referred to as in-app purchases, and TikTok keeps track of your financial data. |
| Location Data | Your device's settings or IP address-based approximate location is also stored in the app. |
| Content Related Data | TikTok also gathers data about the information you create content on, metadata and the location of videos that you post. |
Why is it Important to Understand TikTok's Privacy Policy?
Knowing TikTok's privacy policies is crucial to protect your data and choose wisely what you do online. The policies offer details about the information that TikTok gathers, how they use your data, and the privacy precautions.
Data Collection Awareness
TikTok's policy describes the types of personal data that the app gathers. Learning this helps in understanding TikTok's level of access to your information.
Understanding Data Usage
TikTok uses your data as described in the policy, including exchanging it with other parties for targeted advertising. Learning their privacy policy enables you to make smart privacy-related decisions.
Transparency in Data Sharing
The policy clearly states whether TikTok shares your information with other businesses or organizations. This is significant because it may impact your security and privacy.
Your Choices and Rights
The policy outlines consumer rights, including accessing, editing, and removing data. Being aware of these rights allows you to manage your privacy.
Security Practices
The policy may describe TikTok's data protection procedures in detail. This will assist you in evaluating the app's level of data security.
Law Compliance
TikTok, like other businesses, must abide by privacy regulations. You can read the policy to ensure the app complies with these rules.
How to Protect Your Personal Information on TikTok
TikTok has grown in popularity as a platform for social media, but you should be mindful of the hazards to your personal data. The following recommendations will help you keep yourself safe:
Limit TikTok Ads' Data Access
Limit TikTok and advertisers' access to excessive amounts of data. You can minimize data sharing while still using apps at a basic level.
By following these instructions, you can still enjoy tailored adverts and drastically limit the data that TikTok and advertisers can access.
- Tap on the icon for your profile when the TikTok app is open.
- Select "Settings and Privacy."
- Ad targeting can be turned off by finding and toggling the "Using Off-TikTok Activity for Ad Targeting" function. The toggle ought to become gray.
- Go to "Ads" and select "How Your Ads Are Personalized."
- Consider removing TikTok's historical activity data if you believe it is influencing the ads that are recommended to you.
- You can turn off each specific interest that TikTok has chosen by navigating to the "Interests" section and scrolling down.
Hide Your TikTok Status
You don't have to tell friends when you use the app, even though you might want them to. But it is good to make your appearance hidden online.
Follow these steps to make your account private:
- Navigate to Privacy, then Settings.
- To make your TikTok status private, turn it off under Activity Status.
If you share content with your friends, you can control who may follow you and ensure your account is private.
- Make sure the toggle for the private account becomes green.
Disable Account Suggestions
Disable account suggestions and contact syncing to stop unsolicited follow requests and content views.
How to do it is as follows:
- Navigate to the Privacy settings.
- Locate the option that reads "Suggest your account to others."
- Disable every option for suggestions.
It will reduce unwanted views and help you keep your account secret.
Adjust Interaction Settings
Go to the Privacy menu to control how others interact with your content.
You can personalize your messaging choices and comments here.
You may want to switch off your Liked videos, Post view history, and Profile view history for more privacy.
These settings are not enabled by default. You can also ensure that no one sees your following list. Implementing these changes lets you control your online interactions and avoid unwanted attention.
Monitor the Dark Web
You can enable Dark Web Monitoring to search the dark web for your personal data. Receive immediate alerts whenever someone posts your information on the dark web.
Block Online, Invisible Trackers
You can use the Tracker Blocker to prevent trackers from tracking your online activities. You can boost your privacy and stop companies from gathering personal data about you without your consent.
Send Automated Opt-Out Requests
You can leverage the Remove My Data option to analyze data brokers and remove your information from their databases, and track the progress of your data removal requests.
Get a Social Media Privacy Score
Use Social Privacy Manager to analyze your social media accounts and receive a privacy risk score to help you understand how well they are protected.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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How can you keep your TikTok information safe?
Connect your TikTok account to your most recent phone number and/or email address. Select a password that will stick in your memory but be challenging for others to figure out.
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How do you use TikTok safely?
By making your account private, you can prevent strangers from checking your TikTok videos. Permit friends to send messages only: On TikTok, never reply to messages from unknown users.
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Does TikTok provide your information to people?
Although TikTok acknowledges sharing data with third parties, the platform uses your data to enhance its services. Some of your TikTok data, including your app ID and access tokens, can be viewed by other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
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Is TikTok able to access your private data?
If you give TikTok your personal information when using the app—for example, when making an account, uploading content, or interacting in other ways—it will be able to access it.
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Simplify your online presence today
With PurePrivacy, make sure all your personal data remains safe without a hassle!
In Summary!
TikTok prioritizes its consumers' privacy but there are always security loopholes that you might not know of.
The best thing to do is to share content cautiously, update your security and privacy settings, and remove your publicly available data.
You can also consider using PurePrivacy with a VPN to protect your online identity and personal information from malicious actors who sell private data to the highest bidders.
