TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create, share, and view short-form videos.
As of 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, making it one of the fastest growing social media platforms (TikTok Statistics 2023).
On TikTok, users can post videos under an anonymous username, without necessarily revealing their real identity. This anonymity is part of the appeal for many users.
However, there is often interest in uncovering the real identities behind popular or controversial TikTok accounts. Users are curious who the real person is behind a given username.
Usernames
Usernames on TikTok do not reveal a user’s real identity. However, the chosen username can provide some clues about the person behind the account through the words, phrases or references used.
According to TikTok’s help center, users can change their username at any time. When creating an account, TikTok automatically assigns a randomized username. Users often customize this to something more personal.
While usernames don’t expose real names, the words chosen may indicate gender, age range, interests, cultural references and more. For example, usernames containing “girl” or “boy” often correlate to gender identity. Pop culture terms and hashtags reflect hobbies and passions. Still, deductions require speculation as users have full creative liberty when selecting usernames.
Profile Information
A TikTok user’s profile includes a username, profile photo, and bio. These elements may reveal some details about the person behind the account, but profiles are often intentionally vague or even false.
User bios allow up to 80 characters and are optional. Bios frequently contain vague descriptions like “Here for a fun time” or emojis rather than personal details. Users may also include fictional information as a joke or to remain anonymous.
Profile photos also tend to be vague, using illustrations or avatars rather than real photos of the user. Some use photos of celebrities or fictional characters instead. While profiles can provide some clues, users can easily mask their real identity through vague or false bios and photos.https://www.eduloco.com/tiktok-not-just-another-silly-app-but-an-actual-learning-tool/
Video Backgrounds
The backgrounds and settings shown in a TikTok user’s videos can provide clues about their location or interests. Exploring the actual video content can reveal context about what the user cares about or finds entertaining. For example, videos at school or in a workplace may indicate the general region where the user is located.
TikTok provides various background effects and filters that allow users to customize the look of their videos. As explained in TikTok’s Newsroom article “How to use the green screen effect on TikTok,” users can select the green screen effect to replace their background with photos, videos, or animated visuals. Analyzing the backgrounds a user chooses for their videos can provide insight into their personality and interests.
Paying attention to small details in video content, such as signs, landmarks, or other geographical clues can also help pinpoint a user’s location or origins. The context portrayed through settings, activities, speech patterns, and more can reveal a great deal about a TikTok user’s real identity.
Linked Accounts
One method to potentially identify a TikTok user is by looking at their linked social media accounts. TikTok allows users to link other accounts like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to their TikTok profile. This can reveal the person’s identity if those other accounts contain their real name or other personal information (1).
However, linking accounts is optional on TikTok, so a user may choose not to connect any other profiles. If no links are provided, this method will not work to uncover the person’s identity (2). It’s worth checking their profile for connected accounts, but it’s not guaranteed that useful information will be available that way.
Overall, looking at linked accounts can provide clues to identify someone on TikTok, but only if they have decided to provide those connections on their profile. Since it’s not required, it should just be seen as one potential avenue, not a definitive way to uncover their real identity.
Comments and Captions
Wording choices in captions can provide clues about a TikTok user’s identity. For example, using specific nicknames, inside jokes, hometown references, or other personal details in captions may indicate who the person behind the account is, especially if you know them in real life.
Comment interactions can also reveal personal details. The way someone writes comments, the topics they discuss, and how they interact with certain people can provide hints about who they are. For example, if they have lengthy back-and-forth conversations with friends on their videos, use niche slang, or bring up identifiable memories, that could expose their identity.
There are some ways TikTok users try to protect their anonymity in comments. Using alternate accounts, random usernames, or no profile photo can make it harder to connect a commenter’s identity. TikTok also allows users to delete or hide certain comments, limiting how visible those clues are. But clever sleuthing of linguistic patterns, inside jokes, and social interactions in comments can still reveal who someone is in some cases.
Overall, the language used in captions and comments, as well as the social connections and conversations within them, can provide clues to uncover a TikTok user’s real identity, if you can spot the patterns.
Metadata
TikTok collects certain metadata about user videos, such as the device type, operating system version, IP address, browser type, and mobile network information. This kind of device data could potentially help narrow down who a user is in some cases. However, TikTok says they limit the metadata they collect for user privacy reasons.
According to their January 2024 Privacy Policy, “To promote the safety, security of the Platform, including by scanning, analyzing, and reviewing User Content, messages and associated metadata and other information, we collect or generate about the Platform.”
While TikTok may analyze metadata to protect user safety, their policy states they limit the data for privacy reasons. As reported by Wired in October 2021, the metadata TikTok makes available in their Download Your Data tool is fairly limited compared to other social platforms.
Facial Recognition
TikTok’s privacy policy states that the company may collect faceprints and other biometric data from its users [1]. This face matching technology could theoretically be used to identify individual users in videos. However, TikTok has claimed that while it does collect some biometric data for features like facial filters, it does not use this technology to uniquely identify users [2].
The use of facial recognition technology on TikTok users is controversial. While it could help detect unauthorized use of someone’s account or identify individuals engaged in illegal activity, privacy advocates argue it represents an invasion of users’ privacy [3]. For now, TikTok maintains that it prohibits the use of biometric data for uniquely identifying users.
Reporting Content
If a TikTok user encounters illegal or abusive content, they can report it directly within the app. When submitting a report, TikTok may prompt the user to verify their identity before processing the request. This identity check helps prevent false reporting and abuse of the system.
As stated in TikTok’s Community Guidelines, users should “avoid sharing personally identifiable information” on the platform. Asking users to provide personal ID or verification to report content helps protect privacy and prevent harassment.
The ID verification prompts are only applicable when reporting content, and are not required for most general use of the app. The average TikTok user does not need to verify their identity. This system aims to maintain trust and safety across the large TikTok community.
Outside Research
One way to potentially identify the person behind a TikTok account is to search for the same username on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Often people will use the same or similar usernames across multiple sites.
You can search those platforms for the TikTok username and look for matching profile photos, bios, content, hashtags, etc. that line up with what is posted on their TikTok account. If you find accounts on other sites that seem to be run by the same person, you may be able to gather more identifying information about them through those profiles.
For example, if you find their Instagram account with the same username, their bio or posts there may reveal their real name, location, school, workplace, etc. Making connections like this across platforms can help piece together the identity of the TikTok user.
However, it’s important not to jump to conclusions or accuse someone wrongly. Use due diligence and look for multiple clear and consistent signals pointing to the same person before making any definitive conclusions about matching accounts belonging to the same user across sites.
