Waiting
in
the
checkout
line.
Waiting
to
fall
asleep.
Waiting
for
your
boring
work
call
to
finally
end.
When
you
find
yourself
in
these
situations,
do
you
usually
have
your
phone
in
hand?
And
does
it
usually
include
scrolling
through
videos
on
TikTok?
You’re
far
from
alone!
The
app
has
150
million
users
in
the
United
States
and
more
than
a
billion
daily
users
worldwide.1
However,
governments
around
the
world
believe
that
while
you’re
exploring
the
world
through
short-form
video,
unscrupulous
characters
are
lurking
in
the
background
collecting
your
personal
data.
Here’s
the
real
story
behind
TikTok
bans
and
what
they
mean
for
you
and
your
online
privacy.
Why
Is
TikTok
Banned?
TikTok
is
owned
by
ByteDance,
a
Chinese
company.
Much
of
the
data
privacy
unease
surrounding
TikTok
is
ByteDance’s
opacity
in
their
data
mining
practices.
It’s
unknown
how
much
data
it
collects
on
users
and
what
it
does
with
that
information.
Since
the
Chinese
government
has
a
hand
in
many
of
the
businesses
based
in
the
country,
it’s
unclear
if
the
government
is
party
to
the
mined
data.
Because
many
countries
are
tense
politically
with
China,
some
governments
are
being
cautious
about
limiting
ByteDance’s
access
to
personal
information
and
potentially
government
secrets.
So
far,
various
countries
have
banned
TikTok
from
the
work
phones
of
government
employees,
including
the
United
States,
Australia,
Canada,
Taiwan,
and
various
European
Union
members.2
India
completely
banned
the
app
in
the
country
in
2020.
Various
other
countries
with
strict
limits
on
self-expression
have
also
attempted
to
forbid
their
citizens
from
accessing
TikTok.
Montana
became
the
first
state
to
ban
TikTok
in
May
2023.
The
governor
cited
“protecting
Montanans’
personal
and
private
data”
as
the
reason
behind
the
new
bill,
which
is
set
to
go
into
effect
in
January
2024.3
What
Do
the
Bans
Mean
for
You?
For
the
general
population,
bans
of
TikTok
on
government-issued
devices
will
not
affect
your
access
to
the
platform
Even
for
government
employees,
this
just
means
that
you
can’t
access
the
app
from
your
work
phone,
laptop,
or
tablet.
On
your
own
time
and
your
personal
devices,
you
can
still
scroll
to
your
heart’s
content.
Montana’s
TikTok
bill
could
pick
up
steam
with
other
states
claiming
to
protect
the
PII
of
their
citizens;
however,
the
Montana
law
and
any
similar
ones
that
may
arise
are
likely
to
be
scrutinized
as
a
violation
of
freedom
of
speech.
As
of
now,
it’s
unclear
whether
the
bill
–
and
future
ones
like
it
–
will
be
invalidated
due
to
a
violation
of
the
First
Amendment.
How
these
TikTok
bans
and
the
news
headlines
may
affect
you
is
that
they
emphasize
the
necessity
of
social
media
best
practices
and
guarding
your
personally
identifiable
information
(PII)
more
closely.
How
to
Maintain
Your
Privacy
on
TikTok
Because
it’s
unclear
how
much
and
with
whom
TikTok
is
gathering
and
sharing
your
data,
it’s
best
to
play
it
safe
and
limit
the
amount
you
reveal
about
yourself
on
the
app.
Here
are
a
few
tips
to
give
you
peace
of
mind
and
improve
your
online
privacy:
1.
Turn
off
geo-tagging.
This
is
a
good
practice
on
any
social
media
platform.
Geo-tagging
is
a
function
where
the
app
uses
GPS
to
track
your
location
and
then
publish
it
alongside
your
post.
This
feature
may
put
your
personal
safety
at
risk,
since
stalkers
can
use
the
geotag,
context
clues,
and
video
background
to
guess
at
your
location.
2.
Disable
tracking
and
targeted
ads.
TikTok,
Facebook,
Instagram,
and
gaming
apps
depend
on
advertisers’
dollars
to
make
money.
To
provide
users
with
the
most
relevant
ads
(and
improve
their
chances
of
making
a
sale),
companies
gather
information
about
you
and
build
a
profile
based
on
your
online
comings
and
goings.
Most
apps
that
allow
tracking
must
ask
your
permission
first
to
do
so.
Always
uncheck
this
box
and
disable
ad
tracking,
because
there’s
no
guarantee
that
the
PII
the
ad
company
collects
will
stay
a
secret.
Did
you
know
that
98%
of
people
have
their
personal
information
up
for
sale
on
the
internet?
Personal
Data
Cleanup
is
an
excellent
tool
to
erase
your
private
details
from
the
internet
and
keep
it
out
of
the
hands
of
strangers.
3.
Keep
your
life
a
mystery.
Oversharing
on
social
media
may
leave
you
vulnerable
to
social
engineering
schemes.
This
happens
when
a
scammer
gathers
details
about
you
and
then
tailor-makes
a
scam
that’s
likely
to
get
your
attention.
For
example,
if
your
social
media
profiles
make
it
clear
that
you’re
an
animal
lover,
a
scammer
may
write
a
heartfelt
post
about
needing
donations
to
save
their
beloved
pet.
4.
Use
a
VPN.
A
virtual
private
network
(VPN)
scrambles
your
online
traffic,
making
it
very
difficult
for
someone
to
digitally
eavesdrop
on
you
or
pinpoint
your
location.
Plus,
a
VPN
works
on
any
device,
not
just
desktops.
So,
while
you
scroll
on
a
computer,
tablet,
or
smartphone,
a
VPN
can
keep
your
internet
traffic
a
secret.
Enjoy
TikTok
Safely
Don’t
worry:
TikTok
–
the
constant
companion
in
times
of
boredom,
transit,
and
when
you’re
in
need
of
a
laugh
–
isn’t
going
anywhere
anytime
soon.
For
the
general
population
in
most
parts
of
the
world,
the
app
is
staying
put.
However,
just
because
it’s
not
banned
doesn’t
mean
that
it’s
100%
safe
for
your
online
privacy.
Keep
our
tips
in
mind
the
next
time
you
scroll
through
or
post.
To
fully
cover
your
bases
and
give
you
peace
of
mind,
partner
with
McAfee+
Ultimate.
This
all-in-one
service
includes
unlimited
VPN
for
all
your
devices,
Personal
Data
Cleanup,
and
more.
Laugh,
cry,
learn,
and
explore
the
world
through
TikTok
with
confidence
in
the
security
of
your
online
privacy!
1TikTok,
“Celebrating
our
thriving
community
of
150
million
Americans”
2Associated
Press,
“Here
are
the
countries
that
have
bans
on
TikTok”
3CNN,
“Montana
governor
bans
TikTok”
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