HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (WLVT) —It has two billion users worldwide and 165 million Americans, from celebrities to young kids, use TikTok to create shareable social media videos.
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The platform, which is owned by one of China’s biggest tech firms, ByteDance Inc., faces an uncertain future in the U.S. The Trump administration is considering banning it, and another Beijing-based app called WeChat, due to cybersecurity concerns.
"The way that China works is a bit different than the U.S. The government there has more control over the social media sphere," Matt Krayton, adjunct professor at Centenary University's #theVIBE Social Media Center of Expertise, told PBS39.
The minute you download it, TikTok starts tracking your every move. It has full access to your photos, videos and the information of contacts stored on your phone. The company says that data is not stored in China, but on servers in the U.S. and Singapore.
"It's certainly invasive. Is it more invasive than other apps out there? Maybe, maybe not. But that is certainly a lot of data that they have access to," said Krayton.
While some of the information the app gathers may seem innocuous, like your email address and the places you frequent, it’s actually quite valuable.
"Data points on their own are not that valuable. But, if you start putting that data together with other data points, you can develop a picture of who I am," explained Krayton. "Looking at a population, you can find patterns of behavior. When you package that data, it becomes very valuable in predicting human behavior."
U.S. officials have not provided proof that TikTok is sharing information directly with the Chinese government. Chris Emme has worked in digital media for 20 years and is the chief revenue officer at Tsū Social. He believes the U.S. shouldn’t be so quick to call for a TikTok ban.
"If they're scraping data, housing it in China, or giving it to third parties without our permission, then yes, the American government should step in and protect its citizens. But allegations are not enough to convict someone," said Emme.
He says users of any social app should familiarize themselves with how their data is used. His companies app, Tsū Social, splits revenue with its content creators fifty-fifty — that means people get paid to use the app.
"Data has always been a very valuable commodity. Whether through the yellow pages and understanding basic demographic information, mining capability is valuable. The way we operate at Tsū, we believe people should be paid for their data and for the content they create," said Emme.
Krayton is not convinced that a TikTok ban will materialize. Still, he says this is an opportunity to talk about how apps collect information and sell it for a profit.
"At this point, I think it’s a lot of political posturing, given U.S. and Chinese relations," said Krayton. "TikTok feels fun, you hear about people scrolling for hours. But we need to have a broader conversation, especially with kids, about what’s really happening when they use this app."
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