The history of “TikTok” began just a decade ago, when the app “Douyin” was introduced in China in 2016. A year later, its international version “TikTok” appeared, and the real breakthrough happened in 2018, when the platform merged with the then-popular “Musical.ly”. This August 2nd is considered the symbolic birthday of modern “TikTok”.
Over the years, “TikTok” has grown from an almost unnoticed platform to one of the most popular apps in the world. In Lithuania, it is also one of the most frequently downloaded free apps. According to mobile internet traffic in the “Bitė” network, “TikTok” ranks fourth. At peak times, the traffic it generates exceeds 20 Gb/s – more than many other popular apps. “TikTok” is only surpassed by “Go3”, “YouTube” and “Meta” platforms – “Facebook” and “Instagram”, says Andrius Archangelskis, smart device expert at “Bitė Lietuva”.
Does “TikTok” read minds?
According to A. Archangelskis, one of the biggest myths about “TikTok” is that the app constantly listens to the conversations of its users. The app can indeed be granted access to the microphone, but there is no reliable evidence that it secretly records everyday conversations for advertising purposes. “TikTok” itself states that content recommendations are made based on users’ actions within the app.
“The explanation lies in the algorithms. “TikTok” monitors every action we take in the app – how long we watch a video, which part we skip after a few seconds, what we watch again, what we like, comment on, or share with friends. And the app does this more closely than any mother watches her child. Even a few extra seconds spent on one video become a signal to the algorithm that this topic interests us,” says the “Bitė Profas”.
For the algorithm, it is important not only what you watch but also what you do not watch. If you consistently skip videos on a certain topic after a few seconds, the algorithm understands that you are not interested and starts showing different content. It is from many small signals that the algorithm creates a very accurate profile of a person’s interests – which is why recommendations or ads seem surprisingly precise.
Besides human behavior, the app collects information about the device model, operating system, language, location, IP address, search history, followed creators, and other technical data.
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“Most of the information is collected so that the algorithm can tailor content as accurately as possible to each person. In other words, the goal of “TikTok” is to keep our attention as long as possible. The more it knows about our interests, the more precise and interesting content it will show us,” says the expert from the digital services company “Bitė Lietuva”.
This will protect your privacy
It is impossible to completely stop “TikTok” from collecting data. However, some of it can and should be protected.
The “Bitė Profas” first advises checking the app’s privacy settings and turning off the contact synchronization feature in the app settings if you do not use it. The “TikTok” contact synchronization feature links your phone’s contact book with the app. It allows “TikTok” to suggest your account to people who have your phone number and helps find and follow friends who are already using the platform.
“It is important to also restrict access to your precise location, review the permissions granted to the app to use the camera or microphone if you are not creating content, and clear the history of personalized recommendations. These actions will not stop “TikTok” from collecting data but will allow better control over what information you share,” advises A. Archangelskis.
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