After Facebook, Instagram, and Google, TikTok is the next platform to develop into an infamous spying app. According to a recent study by software expert Felix Krause, TikTok may track your online behavior even if you browse other websites using the app.
Fastlane, a company that tests apps, was founded by Krause and was bought by Google five years ago. Forbes was the first to report the researcher’s findings.
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How it Works
The study, which was released on Thursday, reveals that TikTok can add code to the websites you visit via a link in the app. Since these websites are opened in the in-app browser rather than Chrome or Safari, the code updates them to permit spying.
This enables the Chinese software to keep track of your keystrokes and webpage clicks. This is an easy opportunity for TikTok to obtain private data like passwords and credit card numbers.
In response to his findings, Krause stated:
The business actively decided to do this. It is neither accidental nor random; it is a non-trivial technical challenge.
Although TikTok declined a request for comment, it did confirm to Forbes that this code does indeed exist in the in-app browser of TikTok. The spokesman did add, though, that the app does not use the code to monitor users online.
Although TikTok declined a request for comment, it did confirm to Forbes that this code does indeed exist in the in-app browser of TikTok. The spokesman did add, though, that the app does not use the code to monitor users online.
The Javascript code in question is solely used for debugging, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring of that experience, such as checking how quickly a website loads or whether it crashes. We use an in-app browser, like other platforms, to ensure an optimal user experience.
According to TikTok, this code is a component of an external software development kit (SDK), and it has functionality that TikTok does not use.
