With the change in TikTok ownership, TikTok users in the U.S. are collectively freaking out over the company’s updated privacy policy after being alerted to the changes through an in-app message.

The revised document details the U.S. joint venture’s conditions for using its service, including the specific location information it may collect.

Many users are also posting to social media about language found in the policy, which says that TikTok could collect sensitive information about its users, including their “sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status.”

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    92
    ·
    2 days ago

    Here’s a hint:

    STOP USING THE APP

    Or just stop using the platform altogether. The reason that most of these things are “apps” is so that they can track you better, not for the “experience”.

    JFC.

    • Akuchimoya@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      1 day ago

      Around two or three years ago, I was on a sales call/app demo as a potential customer–not for TikTok, of course. It’s an American company and I’m based in Canada. I asked the sales guy about their data storage, encryption, privacy, and the like; he didn’t know. I said I needed to know that if our group uses the application to communicate internally about, for example, helping refugees, the government won’t be able to access it. The guy asked me if that really was a concern.

      Well, you tell me now, sales guy, is it really a concern?

    • SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      2 days ago

      Amen. Unfortunately I feel like there’s a whole generation that has come up with a different mindset. Not that you want to stand up for your rights, but that you will do whatever you want and complain about it if it violates your rights or your privacy, but not actually stop doing it.

      I feel like the idea of proactively standing up for your rights or what you believe in rather than just complaining or posting online is no longer in in common parlance.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        2 days ago

        Yeah, I wonder what percentage of various generations would be able to explain who EFF is or what they do. As a for instance.

        I’m glad to see that it’s fairly common to see people talking about/using things like a VPN, for instance, but…if you then “log in” to whatever brand for a “better experience”? Okay, you hid your traffic from your ISP but, not much else. All that data is flowing into that company(ies) servers, never to be deleted. If you trust that company as being “one of the good ones” right now, doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Look no further than something like Xitter - many people believed they were “good” (lol) before fElon’s takeover, most people sure don’t think so now. All that data you gave up is now his.

      • architect@thelemmy.club
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        23 hours ago

        There’s also a matter of small businesses and artists that despite what people here might think need platforms like this because regular people are too fucking stupid to go to a website.

        Or I guess we could all just fucking starve to death and you could all just go shopping at Walmart.

    • Ruigaard@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 day ago

      I agree, but the bad thing is, a lot of people (especially kids) are addicted to TikTok and other apps. They crave it. So similar to smoking, they know it’s bad but still can’t quit.