You Know How TikTok Tracks Your Data? Yeah, It Could Be Worse Than You Think

It’s a data drama.

A tech researcher and software engineer has investigated social media apps and how they track us and has found out that TikTok could be tracking user data.

According to Felix Krause’s new research, TikTok has the capacity track data like keystrokes, passwords and even credit card information when you use the in-app browser.

This means whenever you click on a link or even an ad through TikTok, the app might be tracking what you’re doing.

When opening a website from within the TikTok iOS app, they inject code that can observe every keyboard input (which may include credit card details, passwords or other sensitive information)

TikTok also has code to observe all taps, like clicking on any buttons or links. pic.twitter.com/Dcv0N4ccKD

— Felix Krause (@KrauseFx) August 18, 2022

Felix looked at TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Amazon, and Snapchat, and found TikTok to be the worst of the bunch.

All those apps except TikTok allow user settings to be changed to open links in the default browser (like Safari or Chrome), which would limit user tracking.

Of those apps, only Amazon and Snapchat have a source code that doesn’t modify the third-party website.

These modifications can include a tracking code.

TikTok has responded to Felix’s report, denying they use any of the data to track users.

“Like other platforms, we use an in-app browser to provide an optimal user experience, but the JavaScript code in question is used only for debugging, troubleshooting and performance monitoring of that experience — like checking how quickly a page loads or whether it crashes,” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan told Forbes.

Felix quickly responded to the statement.

“The above statement confirms my findings. TikTok injects code into third party websites through their in-app browsers that behaves like a keylogger. However, claims it’s not being used.”

So, what does this actually mean?

If you’re ever cruising through TikTok and click on an interesting link – it might be another social platform, an ad for a product or a news article – you could be tracked by TikTok.

Because on TikTok, instead of taking you to your preferred browser, you’ll be taken to the page while staying on TikTok.

If you enter a password on a site – TikTok might be able to track it.

If you buy something with a card – TikTok can track that data.

What can I do to avoid all this?

As a user, an easy way to avoid tracking is just not using an in-app browser.

For apps that allow you to redirect to your default browser, make sure your settings are set up to do that.

But on TikTok, where that isn’t an option, all you need to do is either copy the link directly or open the site in the in-app browser, and immediately select the ‘open in browser’ function, to keep your data safe.

Felix has stressed in posts online that this does not immediately suggest TikTok and other apps are stealing your data.

“I wanted to showcase that bad actors could get access to this data with this approach. As shown in the past, if it’s possible for a company to get access to data legally and for free, without asking the user for permission, they will track it.”

But just be careful, because while using a browser, you could be the one being browsed.