As a technology security professional with certifications and experience in securing large university systems, I’ve always been wary of the security and privacy risks posed by various applications. So when it comes to TikTok, I was curious about its risk level compared to other popular social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.
Taking a methodical approach at simplest layers of the application, I assessed the access permissions of each platform on my Android and Apple phones. To my surprise, TikTok had fewer access permissions compared to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. While this is a good thing on the surface, the recent news headlines regarding calls to ban TikTok raised questions about its security and privacy. I wonder if TikTok magically found work a work around to the fundamental security built into the phone? If so what does that say about all of the other apps in the store?
I decided to take a closer look and delve into the reasons behind these calls to ban TikTok. After all, as a security analyst, it’s my job to stay informed and provide objective and factual analysis.
As I researched further, I came across a headline that caught my eye: “Why the proposed TikTok ban is more about politics than privacy, according to experts.” This led me to consider the possibility that the push to ban TikTok may not be solely driven by security and privacy concerns. Instead, it could be related to TikTok’s rapid growth and market share, which is seen as a threat to US-based social media companies. Is there a US corporate lobbing aspect to the calls for a ban outside of the security concern?
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the concerns around TikTok’s ownership by Chinese tech giant ByteDance and the potential for data to be shared with the Chinese government. However, as a security analyst, I always look for concrete evidence and proof before making assumptions. So far, I haven’t seen anything definitive that would support these concerns. I am keeping an open mind as I dig deeper into the technology, but for now I am not seeing evidence that TikTok is acting any different than other social media companies.
My conclusion is the true risk posed by TikTok remains unclear, and I will continue to seek answers to support or dismiss these concerns. While TikTok’s success in capturing a significant portion of users’ time and attention may be a source of concern for traditional social media companies, I believe it’s important to approach these issues with caution and not jump to conclusions without sufficient evidence.
I hope to generate a dialog here shedding light on Tiktok threat. I am looking for true information and not speculation on TikTok’s threat.
The Bright Monkey 