TikTok is…risky?
The previous White House administration very nearly banned the app from U.S. markets.
However, I find one aspect of the app to be particularly aggressive: Contact sharing.
TikTokreallywants to share your account with everyone you know.
From a business perspective, sure, makes sense: The app wants more users.
However, Imnota fan.
I dont use TikTok for the community.
Im here to watch funny videos.
If I have a clip I want to share with people, I do it outside of TikTok.
I havenoreason to connect with people I know on the app.
TikTok goes beyond what you might expect from an app in terms of sharing your account with others.
That doesnt fly with me, and it probably shouldnt fly with you either.
Just below Suggest your account to others, youll find Sync contacts and Facebook friends.
If the options appear dim, thats your sign there arent any connected contacts.
You best believe I removed them.
Normally, you log into accounts by entering the correct username and password.
If you dont have this feature set up yet, you should do so now.
To start, head toSettings and privacy > Security and login > 2-step verification.
Once you prove your connection to the methods you choose, 2FA will be set.
As such, there is no reason the app needs permission to access your phones camera and microphone.
Yet, most of us probably give the app those permissions anyway.
Theres no evidence that TikTok is spying on us through our cameras and mics.
But why give an app with a less than stellar track record for privacy the benefit of the doubt?
On iOS, you’ve got the option to disable these permissions from your iPhones configs app.
Tap on TikTok, then deactivate the toggles next to Microphone and Camera.
Its sly, but were onto TikTok.
When you updated your iPhone, these apps all needed to ask your permission before tracking you.
However, since you might have seen these pop-upssomany times, you mightve accidentally tapped yes.
