The dark secrets of TikTok, the social network that young people love and generate mistrust around the world

While Tick ​​tock it was one click away from being banned, received numerous complaints for alleged espionage and faces legal charges on several continents, is still operational. It is necessary to have it Fear to this Chinese giant hiding in the pockets of millions of young people?

When in 2020 Donald Trump tried to ban it, ByteDance’s software was mounted on about 800 million devices. It currently leads all charts, with more than 3.5 billion downloadssecond Sensor Tower.

In the first quarter of 2023 alone, it recorded 246.9 million downloads worldwide, which represents a 19.7% growth. It was downloaded more than 879.2 million times in 2022, up 22% from 718.7 million in 2021.

Several security experts agree that the permissions the app asks for outweigh their benefits and that too collects much more data than necessary work.

“The app mimics the behavior of a spyware: record likes, saved passwords, contacts, navigation path. This refers to complex security conditions from the point of view of acceptance and a potential loss of privacy,” he indicates Gabriel LeftyCEO of BTR Consulting.

Unlike instagramwhose algorithm needs a little help to boost recommendations, on TikTok useless follow anyone to immerse yourself in its cascade of short videos.

TikTok: an addictive algorithm

It’s a product attractive, free, easy, fast, with an infinite mechanism that always has something new to offer. It is a machine designed to generate well-being, laughter, excitement, contact with risk, production of endorphins and a feeling of power.

“The addictive qualities of TikTok are compared in many studies with the effect produced by the gaming machines. From colors to rewards, instantaneousness and surprise, everything is designed to generate addictive behaviors in the population. Therefore, the lever pull is related to the scroll down”, describes Lefty.

That is why its algorithm is said to be an artificial stimulator for produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is released in the brain when a reward is expected. Which in this case is a short 45 second video.

pocket computer espionage

What worries analysts the most is their fine print Privacy Policy. Since the right to read all postsstating that it requires this level of access to protect users from spam.

Even if you send a private message, it is also logged, along with associated metadata, such as the time it was sent, received, read, and who participated in the chat.

“Not only does it gather more information than the industry average and it uses the strongest recommendation algorithm compared to other platforms, but many believe the app features national security risks”says Roman Cuprik from ESET.

The Beijing-based app confirmed in December 2022 that its employees they had access to the data of journalists who were investigating her and, through the app, they were able to map out where they lived and who their contacts were.

“A feature of this platform is that it is above any jurisprudence, which makes them immune from any type of regulation. This is why many countries take action in this regard and decide to limit access, when there has already been an advance on the population», explains Zurdo.

imminent danger

From 2020 India decide to ban her, the list keeps growing. In December 2022, Taiwan made the same decision and last month, the European Union (EU) has asked employees to remove it from all corporate devices.

Earlier this year, the White House announced it would give its federal agencies 30 days to remove the social network from all electronic devices.

The EU has argued that several points included in TikTok’s “terms of service” are illegal and understands that the platform fails to protect children and teenagers from hidden advertising and potentially harmful material.

“There is an abundance of inappropriate content for minors and a permanent recommendation for seniors, taking advantage of the unique capabilities of its algorithm. The sexual offer is permanent and many women promote their Only Fans pages. Without any filtering or consideration, these videos are automatically distributed in the feed,” warns Zurdo.

Misleading material also abounds, where there is a strong incentive to invest in certain cryptocurrencies, which then ends up being a pyramid scam.

“All of this is outside the legal and legislative reach, within the Argentine territory. It takes a lot of effort and great knowledge development to try to put TikTok on the priority list as a potential threat to the country,” Zurdo reports.