What TikTok Shows Other Users By Default
TikTok’s algorithm uses your watch history and engagement to customize your For You feed with recommended videos it thinks you will enjoy. According to TikTok’s Privacy Policy, the factors that influence your For You feed include “videos you have liked or shared, accounts you follow, comments you have posted, and more.” So videos that you watch on TikTok, even if you don’t engage with them, will impact the recommendations you see in your feed.
Likes and comments you make on videos are public by default. This means that other TikTok users can see who has liked or commented on a video. Your username, profile photo, and bio are also public for all users to see.
While your watch history affects your own recommendations, other users cannot see the specific videos you have watched. However, they may be able to infer your interests based on the types of videos that appear in your For You feed.
Making Your Liked Videos Private
One way to protect your privacy on TikTok is to make your liked videos private. By default, other users can see all of the videos you have liked on your profile. However, you can change this setting.
To make your liked videos private:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Go to the “Privacy” section.
- Toggle “Liked videos” to private.
Once you make this change, other users will no longer be able to see which videos you have liked on TikTok. This gives you more control over your privacy and prevents others from making inferences about your interests or views based on the videos you like.
Making your liked videos private is an easy way to protect your personal information on TikTok and limit what others can find out about you through your account activity.
Making Your Viewing History Private
TikTok does use your viewing history and watch time to recommend videos and tailor your “For You” page. According to TikTok’s support article, the app tracks the videos you watch, search terms, hashtags, profiles and sounds to personalize your experience.
If you want to turn off this tracking and remove personalization, you can make your viewing history private. To do this, go to your profile page and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner. Select “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy”. Here you can toggle off “Watch History” to stop TikTok from logging the videos you view.
Turning this setting off means TikTok will no longer use your viewing history to recommend content. However, it does not delete your past history. To fully reset video recommendations and wipe your watch data, you would need to clear your watch and search history which can be done in the Privacy settings.
Private Accounts
One way to control your privacy on TikTok is to make your account private. Private accounts have several key benefits:
To make your TikTok account private:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page
- Tap the menu icon in the top right corner
- Go to “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy”
- Toggle “Private account” on
When your account is private, only people you approve as followers can see your videos, likes, comments, and any other activity. Your existing followers will remain followers, but new followers will need your approval. You have full control over who can access your profile and activity.
Even with a private account, your username, profile photo, and bio are still visible to all TikTok users. However, they cannot see any of your other content unless you approve them as a follower.
Direct Messages
TikTok’s direct messaging feature allows you to send private messages to other users. By default, your direct messages are private and the contents cannot be seen by anyone else besides you and the recipient [1].
However, others can see who you are messaging if you have messaging enabled. Your contacts list is visible to others. If you want to keep your messaging contacts private, you can turn off the messaging feature in your settings [2].
When you delete a message, it is deleted for both you and the recipient. However, the other user may have taken a screenshot before you deleted it. So it’s important to be cautious about the messages you send via TikTok direct messaging.
Livestreams
Anyone can watch livestreams on TikTok, even if your account is set to private. This means all of your followers and non-followers will be able to view your live broadcast in real time. The comments left on livestreams are also public, so anyone watching can see what viewers are saying.
After you finish a livestream, you have the option to either save or delete the video. If you choose to save it, the livestream will be posted to your profile like a normal video for anyone to watch later. So be aware that saving a live essentially makes it public on your profile unless you choose to delete it afterwards.
To maintain more privacy around livestreams, consider going live only for your close friends list. You can also turn off commenting during the broadcast. And if you want to permanently delete a livestream after, make sure to select the “Delete” option rather than saving the video.[1]
Duets and Reactions
By default, other users on TikTok can Duet or React to your videos. A Duet feature allows another user to record a video alongside yours in a split screen. Reactions allow users to film their video reacting to your original video.
According to TikTok’s Help Center article on Duets, your account must be public to allow others to Duet your videos (1). Duets with your content will be public, allowing anyone to see them.
To make Duets or Reactions to your videos private, you can go to your account settings and toggle “Allow Others to Duet/React” to off. This will prevent other users from being able to Duet or React to your videos without permission.
If you make your account private overall, this will also disable Duets and Reactions from other users. With a private account, you have to manually approve each follower, so only approved followers would potentially be able to react or duet.
Sources:
(1) https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/duets
Stitching Videos
One feature on TikTok is the ability for users to “stitch” parts of other users’ public videos into their own videos. This allows people to react to, collaborate with, or build upon content that others have posted.
By default, any public TikTok video can be stitched by others without permission from the original video’s creator. There is no requirement to credit the original video source when stitching their content. However, it is good practice to mention the original creator in the caption if you stitch their work.
If you are uncomfortable with others stitching your public videos without consent, you can make your account private. This will prevent other users from accessing your content to stitch.
If you find your public videos being stitched inappropriately, such as out of context or against your wishes, you can report the videos through TikTok’s reporting procedure. Select “report user” on the stitched video, choose “stealing my content” as the reason, and submit your request for the video to be reviewed.
According to TikTok’s Intellectual Property Policy, reposting someone else’s content without permission may infringe on their rights. However, the platform’s rules around consent for stitching remain unclear.
Downloading Videos
By default, anyone on TikTok can download any public video to their camera roll or device storage using the “Save video” option. According to TikTok’s help page, users simply need to tap the Share button on a video and select “Save video” to download it.
To prevent or limit video downloads, creators have a few options:
- Make videos private – only you and approved followers can view private videos, preventing unauthorized downloads
- Add a watermark – overlays like usernames make videos harder to repurpose
- Report copyright violations – TikTok removes infringing videos to respect copyright
As TikTok’s support site explains, “Users can choose whether or not to allow downloads of their content.” So by default, any public videos can be downloaded unless the creator takes action to limit this.
Protecting Your Privacy
Here are some tips for protecting your privacy on TikTok:
Review your account’s privacy settings regularly and adjust as needed. Consider making your account private so only approved followers can see your content.
Be selective in sharing personal information in your profile or videos. Avoid revealing your exact location, full name, address, phone number, etc.
Use TikTok’s reporting tools if you encounter harassment, bullying, or other issues. You can report accounts, comments, videos, messages, and more.
