TikTok and other social media and entertainment apps are engaging and entertaining. However, you could be giving up your privacy by allowing developers, advertisers, and foreign governments access to your biometrics, location, photos, search history, browsing habits, and more.
Although high-profile people such as celebrities, executives and government officials need to be especially careful, most of us can use the Internet in a carefree way. However, security and privacy are important details that everyone should keep in mind while browsing the internet and installing apps. Even cheap Android phones allow apps you’ve installed to access your personal data if you accept the terms and conditions and approve sharing.
Is using TikTok risky?
TikTok is a great source of entertainment and education. Some people even make money when their videos go viral. So is it okay or risky to use, and why?
One of the risks of using TikTok is that it uses an alarming amount of data. In part, this identifies what content will be most appealing to you. It’s the same reason Facebook gives for collecting your data: to train the algorithm.
That’s all fine if your private information is protected. However, this is not always the case. Advertisers are sold some of your information, hackers may collect information, and governments may demand access in some cases.
As annoying as ads can be, providing private information to hackers and spies is even worse. That’s why some governments ban apps like TikTok.
Become anonymous
You can borrow a page from action movies for the most extreme privacy. In other words, create an alternate identity and use a different phone.
Source: mockup.photos
Use your phone to record
A good but cheap Android phone could be a wise purchase if privacy and security are important to your business or personal life. You can protect your primary phone and most important data for a few hundred dollars.
6 easy ways to create a recording phone number in seconds
Keep your personal phone number private by downloading a recording number
Create an alternate identity
Create a new Google Account so you can sign in without giving out your Gmail address. Use a different name and fill in fake information whenever prompted. You can still like and share your favorite videos since nothing will be associated with the real you.
Protect your network
Before signing into an app from an unknown brand or developer, turn on a VPN and choose a server in a different region or country to hide your location.
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Instead of using your regular home or office Wi-Fi, see if there is an option to use a guest Wi-Fi network. Many modern routers can create a guest Wi-Fi signal to restrict access to other devices on your primary network.
Lock TikTok
If creating a fake ID and buying a phone to record sounds too extreme, there are simpler methods to limit your risk. You can lock the data sharing part within TikTok and other apps.
Do not share your contacts
TikTok and other social media apps force you to share your contacts. The idea is to find people you already know online. That might be convenient, but it’s also a way to gather information and build a network of connections to you, your co-workers, friends and family. Always choose Cancel, Don’t shareand Not when you have the ability to share more data.
If you have already shared contacts, you can revoke access in TikTok settings.
- Open yours Profile.
- Touch menu button in the upper right corner.
- choose Settings and privacy at the bottom of the screen.
- Under, under Accountchoose Privacy.
- choose Sync contacts and Facebook friends.
- Turn off both sync options.
- This prevents new contacts from synchronizing.
- To remove current contacts from TikTok, use the two highlighted options Remove previously synced.
Turn off ad targeting
TikTok personalizes advertising so you learn more about products and services that are relevant to your life and tastes. That sounds great, but it also means you’re giving away personal settings that could be used against you if that data ends up in the hands of someone malicious.
You can turn off ad targeting to prevent TikTok from sharing so much of your data with advertisers. IN Settings/Privacyscroll down and select Adsthen turn off Using activities outside of TikTok to target ads.
You can also opt out of customized ads in the How your ads are personalized.
Android privacy
TikTok and other social media apps aren’t the only companies hungry for your private information. This is valuable for any app or service that displays ads. Advertisers pay more when ads can be targeted to appeal to a specific demographic.
Makes sense. If you’re vegan, you don’t want to see an ad about a meat restaurant. Still, an ad for non-dairy ice cream could be welcome. Showing relevant ads isn’t always a bad thing, but it’s good to have choices about when and what to share. To learn more, check out our guide on how to protect your privacy on your Android phone.