Tiktok shares more user data than any other major social media platform

Question

A recently conducted study compared data collection among different social media apps. During the study, it was found that Tiktok and Youtube generally track user data more than any other platform. Youtube is known to collect your search history and even your location to feed you more ‘relevant’ media, while Tiktok allows third-party trackers to access your data. The worry surrounding third-party trackers is the fact that it’s almost impossible to know who has access to your data, and what information they are collecting. The study was conducted by counting how many different domains tracked different users' activity across platforms. Youtube and Tiktok averaged 14 trackings while other apps averaged around 6. Now, while the majority of Youtube's trackers were first party networks (generally deemed safe), 13 out of 14 trackers on Tiktok were third party, which as I explained, is much more concerning.  

Answer 1

The statement that TikTok shares more user data than any other major social media platform is true. TikTok has been accused of aggressive data harvesting, including in-app messages and precise devise locations. An industry expose revealed that TikTok tracks you across the web even if you don't use the app. A recent Forbes expose says, “Significant reports indicate that the data collection practice outpaces anything that Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter have ever imagined.” 

Both TikTok and other platforms like Facebook collect data about our behaviors, interactions, and preferences. However TikTok's sheer focus on video content and user behavior makes its algorithm more accurate and intrusive. As a general rule, all social media platforms will gather the same data about you, including personal information, financial information, the content you interact with, the content you post, the content you send to others, and your device information. 

Platforms can also keep your data even after you delete the app. In September 2024, research by data removal service Incogni found that numerous social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook messenger, and discord kept use data for up to 180 days. Snapchat holds on to users data for up to 60 days, while Tumblr and TikTok only retain it for up to 30 days. 

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/is-tiktok-worse-than-any-other-social-media-platforms

https://anonyome.com/resources/blog/5-reasons-why-you-should-worry-about-tiktok-and-privacy/

 

https://febabenefits.org/blog/how-tiktok-uses-your-data-behind-the-scenes/

Answer 2

When looking over several sources, I did find that TikTok does in fact, collect a lot of user data but there is no actual evidence that proves it shares more data than every other major platform. The University of Ottawa's report shows TikTok's large data collection practices and gathers information like contacts, location details, and device identifiers.TikTok's official data page also shared this information. When I looked at a research that compared instagram, TikTok, and YouTube it showed difference in transparency rather than the overall size of the data shared. Some secondary sources that I used like Tom's Guide and the Public Interest Research Group, both came to terms on TikToks application are very similar to other platforms and don't stand out among them. Even though government investigation raises privacy concerns that are valid but there is no actual evidence that TikTok shares a larger amount of user data overall. When contacting TikTok's privacy, I expected a reply but ended up getting an automated reply. After investigating, I came to the conclusion that this claim is not proven and misleading. TikTok does collect a lot of user data, but is not proven to be larger than other platforms.

Answer 3

The claim that I will be fact-checking is, “TikTok shares more user data than any other major social media platform.”

I found a record in the Library of Congress that includes discourse about a general technology overview and issues about the app. This isn’t a primary source of the discourse, but the Congress government website was cited as a trusted source for News Detective. I would also trust this source because it cites the footnotes of information that is included. The collection of information is very extensive since it includes general technology information and issues, as well as legislation. Therefore, I decided that the section that makes the most sense for the original claim is the section titled “Data Collection, Storage, and Sharing by TikTok.” According to TikTok's privacy policy, it states that the app collects a variety of user information, which includes location data, internet address, keystroke patterns, and the type of device that is accessing the app. As well as messaging and browsing history within the app. Depending on the user’s permission, the app could also collect phone numbers, phone book, and social-network contacts, GPS data, user age, user-generated content, and store payment information.

TikTok continues to state that the app doesn’t collect more user data than other social media apps and online platforms such as Facebook and Google. These companies can track user activity across devices, and TikTok claims that it doesn’t do that. According to some scholars, the data that TikTok collects seems to be comparable to what other social media companies gather and use. However, critics have described TikTok’s approach to data mining to be aggressive and have argued that, based on what the app is already allowed to track is enough to build detailed behavioral profiles of users that could potentially be shared with the Chinese government. 

TikTok has claimed that all content created by US users is stored in servers located within the US and Singapore. However, in a testimony to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 23, 2023, TikTok’s Chief Executive Officer, Shou Zi Chew, said that ByteDance may still have access to US data. (ByteDance is a Chinese multinational internet technology company.)

There is a variety of information in this library about TikTok, and I think that it is hard to say whether the company tracks user data more than any other data. I think there should be more information about what specific variables are being compared and what variables are being left out when discussing this topic.

Source: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46543?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22tiktok%22%7D&s=1&r=8

Answer 4

The initial claim that TikTok shares the most data among social media platforms is misleading. While, yes, TikTok does collect a large amount of user data according to multiple sources I read from (including SurfShark and FEBA), it's more accurate that Facebook uses the most data across numerous platforms like Facebook (the social media app), WhatsApp, and Instagram. According to Security.org, Facebook uses not only basic identity information (like name, profile pictures, email, and birthdate), but also location information and activity data. According to EPIC, Facebook also collects user messaging data from WhatsApp to sell to advertisers. Facebook notoriously collects user data to sell to advertisers for targeted advertising. 

The original linked article is from a Fox News affiliate in Washington DC, which is already a right-leaning news outlet. One common argument I've seen from Fox News in regards to TikTok is that it is a tool for China to steal American data. I couldn't really find any credible sources that could back up this claim; however, TikTok does indeed collect user data like any other major social media platform. 

The Fox 5 article also links to a report from URL Genius, however, this report doesn't seem very credible as it relies solely on Apple iPhone data for its findings. URL Data is also not a research or data security organization like the other sources I liked, so I am inclined to be more skeptical of the report. 

Answer 5

The claim that TikTok shares more user data than any other major social media platform is mostly true, though slightly exaggerated. A 2022 study by the marketing firm URL Genius found that TikTok and YouTube both made 14 network contacts during a typical user session more than double the average of other apps. However, 13 of TikTok’s 14 connections were with third-party domains, meaning that much of users’ data was being shared externally rather than remaining within TikTok’s own system (CNBC, 2022; IAPP, 2022). Additional research supports these findings, with Cyber news (2023) reporting that TikTok is among the most “data-hungry” apps, collecting 24 types of user data and sharing six categories including names, addresses, and phone numbers with outside entities. Still, other experts offer nuance, noting that TikTok’s data practices are not necessarily unique and that apps like Facebook and Snapchat also engage in extensive data tracking (Newsweek, 2020). Overall, TikTok does appear to share more user data with third parties than most of its competitors, but the claim slightly overstates the case since other major platforms also rely heavily on data collection and advertising networks.

Cnbc article

Cyber news

Iapp

News week

Answer 6

Numerically, the statement that TikTok uses more user data than other companies is true. Both TikTok and YouTube connected to 14 network domains, which were more than the other major apps that were being tested. Most of YouTube's connections are first-party and are housed primarily within the parent company, Google. However, 13 of 14 of TikTok's domains/trackers were third-party, which is misleading for the user (since they don't know where their data is going, and TikTok has not said it, according to the articles I read). So, the statement that TikTok “shares more data” is somewhat misleading, seeing as there are other companies using the same or similar amounts of data. It’s not that TikTok gives out more data, it's that it shares data less transparently with third parties.

Sources:

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/tiktok-shares-more-of-your-data-than-any-other-app-and-a-study-says-its-not-clear-where-it-goes

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilsayegh/2022/11/09/tiktok-users-are-bleeding-data/

Answer 7

This claim is true, and partially why TikTok was banned for a short period. Tom's Guide claims that TikTok sparked concern due to its extreme data harvesting; however, most of this information needs your permission to be accessed. CNBC claims that a study found that Google tracks your online search history or location to serve you relevant ads, but TikTok allows third-party trackers to collect your data, where it becomes difficult to say what happens with it. I have personally experienced that TikTok has been the most accurate in serving me content based on what I had previously searched, watched, or read, which is frightening due to the unknown aspect of where my data is being sold.

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/is-tiktok-worse-than-any-other-social-media-platforms

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.html

Answer 8

This claim was found from a Fox news article talking about data sharing and TikToks alarming amount of data sharing to third parties. According to the study shared in the article TikTok and YouTube share the most data out of all social media apps. It was pretty easy to find another article, this one posted by CNBC that also supports this claim. The study was conducted by URL Genius. Not only does TikTok take your data, but it is "not clear what happens with it" to the 13 of the 14 companies, like the claim says.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.html

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/tiktok-shares-more-of-your-data-than-any-other-app-and-a-study-says-its-not-clear-where-it-goes

Answer 9

The claim "TikTok shares more user data than any other major social media platform" isn't entirely true. While it does share a lot of your user data, and more than the majority of apps, according to CNBC "YouTube and TikTok track users’ personal data more than any other social media apps.". They also go on to say "YouTube and TikTok topped the other apps with 14 network contacts apiece, significantly higher than the study’s average number of six network contacts per app." So, CNBC is claiming that a study done by URL Genius is saying that both Youtube and TikTok share users' personal data more than any other social media app, not just TikTok alone.

TikTok shares your data more than any other social media app: Study

Answer 10

The claim of "TikTok shares more user data than any other major social media platform" is misleading. After looking into what TikTok collects from their users and what they then share I found that yes, TikTok does collect a lot of user data but in comparison to other social media platforms it does not exceed the other platforms. The Federal Benefits Employee Association states that TikTok collects information such as personal information, location data, device data, activity data, and biometric data. This all begins to lead to questioning due to TikTok's lack of transparency with the information they are collecting from users. So, in all they are definitely collecting a lot of data from their users. To answer the claim though is to look at its comparison towards other social medias. FBEA states that along with TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Twitter take a large portion of user data aswell. To further this research, CNBC explains that TikTok has third party trackers who can see data, but what they dow with said data is unknown. To claim that your data is being shared more than other platforms is false. This is due to the equal amount of information between TikTok and other platforms along with the unknown of what the third party trackers are doing with the data. 

https://febabenefits.org/blog/how-tiktok-uses-your-data-behind-the-scenes/

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.html