TikTok has faced ongoing scrutiny and accusations of spying on American users. As one of the most popular social media apps worldwide, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, concerns have been raised that TikTok may share data with the Chinese government or censor content deemed politically sensitive.
Here is a look at the evidence around whether TikTok spies on American users:
TikTok’s Access to User Data
Like all social media apps, TikTok collects a significant amount of user data including:
- User profiles information such as age, username, profile photo
- User generated content such as videos, messages, comments
- Device information like IP address, operating system, browser details
- Location data if the user has allowed location access
- Contacts information if the user has allowed contact access
This data allows TikTok to customize each user’s feed and provide targeted advertising. However, the scope of the data collected provides the capability for extensive user profiling and monitoring.
Data Storage Outside the US
While TikTok stores American user data in data centers in Virginia with backups in Singapore, its parent company ByteDance is based in China. This has led to concerns that data could be accessed from China under Chinese national security laws.
However, TikTok claims that Chinese-based employees do not have access to US user data, and that data is segregated between TikTok and ByteDance.
Allegations of Political Censorship
There have been reports of TikTok censoring or limiting the reach of politically sensitive content. For example:
- Hashtag suppression – hashtags related to sensitive issues in China were allegedly blocked from autocomplete search results.
- Account suspensions – some accounts posting about Chinese human rights issues were temporarily suspended.
- Filtered search results – politically sensitive content was rumored to have limited visibility in search results.
TikTok claimed these were isolated incidences due to moderation errors rather than evidence of systemic censorship on politically sensitive topics.
Concerns Over Source Code Access
Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns that China-based engineers could access TikTok’s source code and identify security vulnerabilities or insert backdoors to enable data access or surveillance.
In response, TikTok has claimed that US-based employees manage its source code and Chinese employees do not have direct access. TikTok also employs encryption techniques to help secure user data in transmission and storage.
Banned by US Armed Forces
Citing cybersecurity and espionage concerns, branches of the US Armed Forces have prohibited soldiers from using TikTok on government-issued devices. The US Army banned TikTok in 2019, the Navy and Marines in 2020, and the Air Force in 2021.
Military leaders feared user data could be accessed and monitored by Chinese authorities given the app’s Chinese ownership.
No Direct Evidence of Systematic Spying
While concerns have been raised about TikTok’s connections to China, no direct evidence has emerged publicly that TikTok systematically spies on US users by covertly transmitting data to China.
Independent security audits of TikTok’s source code and network traffic have not revealed any concealed data transfers or surveillance activity.
TikTok claims it has never provided US user data to the Chinese government, nor censored content at government request, and that it would refuse any such requests.
Steps Taken by TikTok
In response to data privacy and security concerns, TikTok says it has:
- Stored US TikTok user data in Virginia with backup in Singapore – not China.
- Minimized data access for China-based employees – US engineers manage source code.
- Used encryption methods to help secure data.
- Implemented cybersecurity measures to help prevent malicious access.
TikTok also states that its content and moderation policies do not restrict political speech or criticism of governments.
Proposed Ban and Divestment
Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration considered banning TikTok or forcing a sale of its US operations to an American company. However, legal challenges prevented an outright ban.
Under the Biden administration, TikTok has proposed reorganizing its global operations, with a new US-based entity overseeing data management and moderation for American users. This could alleviate data privacy and censorship concerns by isolating TikTok US from ByteDance China.
Does TikTok Spy on Americans? The Bottom Line
While TikTok’s Chinese ownership raises legitimate data privacy and security concerns, there is no direct evidence so far proving it spies on US users or systematically censors content. Intensive scrutiny of TikTok is likely to continue, and its proposed restructuring may provide stronger safeguards for American user data going forward.
Ultimately, users must weigh the risks and make an informed decision about using TikTok based on their own preferences for data privacy versus the enjoyment or utility they get from the platform.
