TACKLING PRIVACY CONCERNS
Although TikTok has exploded in popularity
and given rival social networking sites a run
for their money, some worry that the app is a
danger to its predominantly young audience.
CEO of Reddit Steve Huffman branded the
service “fundamentally parasitic” in a recent
interview, slamming the company for its
practice of fingerprinting to track devices and sell
advertising to consumers. According to Steve,
TikTok uses audio and browser tracking to see
what users are watching and sharing, designed
to further refine its algorithms to make its
content more addictive - and indeed to advertise.
Facebook, too, has raised concerns over the
app’s safety, with its COO Sheryl Sandberg
saying that she was “concerned” over the speed
of the app’s growth when compared with
Facebook’s, reminding the Byers Market podcast
that TikTok is “a Chinese company” and that
“if people are concerned about data, I think
there’s a lot to be concerned about there”.
Of course, Facebook itself has been involved
in a whole host of data breaches and dodgy
practices which have resulted in billion-dollar
fines, so her comments should be taken with
some skepticism. It’s true, too, that TikTok poses
a genuine threat to Instagram, which up until
now has been Facebook’s runaway hit and a
huge driver of advertising revenue.
Aside from advertisement trackers and
involvement from Chinese authorities, parents
worry that TikTok does not do enough to
protect users. 41% of TikTok users are aged
between 16 and 24, but many in that age
category are thought to be younger than