TikTok suspected of being a national security threat: here’s why

Back in 2019, the US government started investigating if the famous TikTok app is a national security threat. While the investigation continues, a cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered flaws that might allow hackers to steal TikTok accounts. Although TikTok claims they care about your privacy and security, there are quite a few reasons to be skeptical.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social platform used to share short, entertaining clips, like comedy sketches or lip-sync videos. The app is incredibly popular among teens or young adults — 66% of their users are younger than 30. In the past couple of years, TikTok had a huge rise to success: in 2019, it was the second most downloaded app, surpassing Facebook.

The US launches a national security review of TikTok

Let’s take a quick step back: in August of 2018, a China-based company called ByteDance acquired Musical.ly app and merged it into TikTok. It turns out, the deal wasn’t officially approved by dedicated US authorities as TikTok didn’t explicitly request for approval. This gives the US government scope to thoroughly analyze the contract.

It’s also alarming how TikTok requests access to your sensitive data. Let’s just say, it’s not the most privacy-friendly app around. TikTok stores your physical whereabouts, your IP address, various details about your device and more. The company shares this information with advertisers or business partners. Since TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, the US government is concerned ByteDance collects their citizens’ information and stores it in China. China is known for strict laws on handing out users’ browsing information to the government.

A representative of TikTok denies it and clarifies US citizens’ data is kept in the US and Singapore. They have explicitly stated there’s “no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the US”. So, U.S. citizens’ data isn’t managed according to China’s regulations: a dedicated team in California reviews content in compliance with U.S. policies.

The newest reports show TikTok had multiple security flaws. Check Point said they discovered vulnerabilities that could let hackers steal your TikTok account. It turns out, you can send a text message to anyone on behalf of TikTok. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Yet. A cybercriminal can send fake messages that contain malicious links. It’ll appear as you’ve received an automated message from TikTok. But, once you open the link, the attacker can steal your TikTok account and use it as they wish.

TikTok blamed for censoring content that doesn’t please the communist party

To top it all, TikTok is suspected of censoring politically-sensitive content. Back in November 2019, Feroza Aziz, a 17-year old Muslim-American student shared a video that looked like a regular makeup tutorial. But, as the video continues, Aziz says to pick up your phone and look up what is happening in China at the moment. She explains how Muslim Uyghurs are being abused. Chinese authorities are sending them to concentration camps. Here families are getting separated, people are getting raped, murdered and forced to eat pork. The video itself wasn’t removed, however, TikTok suspended Feroza’s account.

TikTok denies they’re censoring politically-sensitive content. Even if the Chinese government would request to delete anything, TikTok would not oblige.

So, should you rush to wipe TikTok off your phone? No, not necessarily — if you enjoy binging on these short clips, you can take various security measures. One of the best ways to improve your online life is by using a VPN. A VPN will hide your true IP address and route your traffic through an encrypted virtual tunnel. No-one will be able to see what you do on TikTok (or any other app), unless you share your personal information yourself, such as your real name.

Since we’re all about online privacy here, it’s important to pick a VPN service that respects it and doesn’t log your data. If you’re looking for a reputable VPN app, go for Atlas VPN. It offers top-notch online security along with a guaranteed no-log policy. Best of all, Atlas VPN runs on a freemium business model, so you can use the app for free knowing it doesn’t make money selling your information.