In recent years, TikTok has faced scrutiny over its data collection practices and privacy policies. One particular area of concern is how TikTok handles user location data. With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has access to an enormous amount of sensitive information about its users’ locations.
Several media outlets and researchers have raised alarms about TikTok’s potential to track users’ precise locations without consent. In 2019, a lawsuit alleged that TikTok was illegally collecting personally identifiable data from children, including location information.
Given these privacy issues, many users are left wondering – can TikTok see my exact location? Does the app access your location without permission? This article will examine TikTok’s location data practices and provide tips on how to control your location settings.
How TikTok Uses Location Data
TikTok uses location data for various purposes, primarily to customize the user experience and target ads. According to their privacy policy, TikTok may access your location to “personalize content by providing recommendations and optimized experiences” (TikTok Support). This means TikTok can serve you localized content and ads that are more relevant to your area.
For example, if TikTok knows you are in Los Angeles, it may show you content about local events, restaurants, influencers and trends happening in LA. It can also use your location to infer your interests and demographics, further refining its recommendations and ad targeting (Forbes).
Location is also used for analytics – TikTok tracks where users are engaging with certain videos, hashtags and effects. This helps them identify regional trends and popularity of content.
TikTok’s Location Settings
TikTok gives users several options to control location access and settings within the app. In your phone’s Settings app, you can toggle location access for TikTok on or off. This controls whether TikTok can access your device’s location at all.
Within the TikTok app, you can go to your privacy settings and adjust a few location options:
- Location tag in posts – control whether your precise location is shown in your posts
- Precise location – allow TikTok to access your precise location when using the app
- Discover – allow TikTok to use your location to customize the Discover feed and show you relevant content
- Nearby users – allow TikTok to show you posts and profiles of other users near your location
- Region – set your preferred region to control the content you see in Discover and search
So while TikTok seeks permission for your precise location, you have options to limit its access and use. Toggling your device’s location services for TikTok can cut off access entirely. Within the app settings, you can fine tune which location features are enabled.
Does TikTok Access Your Precise Location?
TikTok’s location access depends on the region a user is located in. For users in the United States, TikTok states that it only collects approximate location data derived from IP addresses rather than precise GPS coordinates.
According to TikTok’s privacy policy, “Where Location Services are available for the TikTok app, and when you turn it on: TikTok will receive your approximate location from your device’s GPS data to provide features like suggesting videos that could be of interest to you based on your location.”
However, TikTok does have the capability to access more precise location data from users outside of the US if they grant permission within the app’s settings. As reported in the Australian Financial Review, “It admitted it can, with user permission, collect precise GPS location information about people using the app in certain regions outside the US.”
So in summary, for US-based users, TikTok does not directly access your exact GPS coordinates. But users in other countries can enable precise location access if they choose to in TikTok’s settings.
When TikTok Accesses Location Data
TikTok accesses your location data when you use certain features that rely on knowing your location. The main examples are:
Using the Nearby feed. This shows you content from creators located close to you. To provide this feed, TikTok needs access to your precise location from GPS. You can control access to this feed in your device settings.
Adding a geotag or location sticker to your TikTok posts. This tags your content with a specific location name. TikTok accesses your precise location via GPS when adding these location details.
Viewing local trends and hashtags. The Discover page shows trending content near your area. TikTok checks your approximate location from your IP address or wifi network to provide local trends.
Using location filters when searching. You can filter search results by location (e.g. Within 5 miles). TikTok accesses your precise GPS coordinates to filter content by location.
In general, features that show content based on location or allow tagging locations require access to your precise GPS coordinates. TikTok accesses this through your device’s location services when you use these specific features.
Storing Location Information
After collecting location data from users, TikTok stores this information on servers based in the United States, Singapore, and Malaysia, according to TikTok’s Newsroom article “How we secure personal information and store data”. The article states that user data like location is stored in these servers and protected through encryption.
Specifically for US users, TikTok routes 100% of their data to Oracle Cloud servers located in the US, as explained in TikTok’s article “Where does TikTok store U.S. user data?”. So location information from American users is stored domestically.
While the exact length of time TikTok retains location data is unclear, their Privacy Policy states they may store data “for as long as necessary for the purposes for which we collect and use the data”. So location information seems to be stored indefinitely on their servers.
Sharing Location Data
TikTok’s Privacy Policy states that they may share users’ information, including location data, with third parties in certain situations. This includes sharing data with TikTok’s corporate group, which includes its subsidiaries and affiliated entities. Location data may also be shared with TikTok’s service providers and business partners who assist in providing and optimizing the platform.
Additionally, TikTok may share location information with law enforcement, legal processes, or as part of an investigation related to public safety, as stated in their Privacy Policy. They may also share location data if it is reasonably necessary to comply with legal obligations or a legal process.
However, TikTok claims that aggregated, anonymized location data is shared with third parties primarily for research and analysis purposes. The data is aggregated and anonymized to minimize risks of exposing personal information.
In summary, TikTok’s policies indicate they can and do share location data with third parties in some situations, particularly when it comes to service operations, legal requirements, and anonymized research data. But the extent of location data sharing is limited compared to other types of user data sharing disclosed in their privacy policy.
Controlling Location Access
If you want to limit TikTok’s access to your location, there are a few things you can do:
Turn off location access for TikTok in your device’s settings. On both iOS and Android, you can revoke location permissions so TikTok can no longer access your precise location.
In the TikTok app, go to your profile and tap the settings icon. Go to “Privacy” and toggle off “Location services” to prevent TikTok from accessing your location data.
You can also turn off location tagging in new posts. Go to “Privacy” settings and toggle off “Location tag” so your posts will not show your location.
Be aware that turning off location access means you won’t be able to use certain TikTok features that rely on location data, like geotagging posts or seeing local content. But you can take back control of your location privacy.
Location Data Risks
There are some potential risks associated with TikTok having access to users’ location data. According to the University of Ottawa, “Security concerns have been raised over TikTok’s collection, use and disclosure of the personal information of its users.”
One risk is that location data could be used to track users’ movements and monitor their activities over time. As reported by AP News, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance “could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history and location — with China’s authoritarian regime.”
Location data could also potentially be used for targeted advertising purposes, to serve users ads based on places they have visited. Some users may find this invasive if they did not intend for their location history to be leveraged in this way.
There are also concerns that location data could be accessed by hackers or malicious actors if TikTok’s systems are breached. Sensitive location data falling into the wrong hands could present safety and privacy risks for users.
While the risks are still being evaluated, many experts recommend adjusting TikTok privacy settings and limiting location access to mitigate potential issues. Users concerned about location tracking may also choose to avoid posting content tagged with their precise location.
Summary
TikTok does collect some location data from users, but there are limitations in place. Users must opt-in to location services, and TikTok claims location data is only used to customize the app experience and recommend relevant content. However, TikTok’s privacy policy is vague regarding location data usage. While TikTok doesn’t access precise GPS coordinates for US users, it can determine approximate location from IP address, WiFi networks, and other identifiers. Location data may also be shared with third parties and ByteDance employees outside the US. Overall, users have some control through privacy settings, but should be cautious and understand the risks of sharing any personal data with TikTok.