A developer discovered that the TikTok social network would keep a copy of all the information entered, potentially including passwords or banking information.
Using the browser integrated into your social network is very practical, but be careful about the confidentiality of your personal data.
TikTok injects code that can save your data entered into each website
Researcher Felix Krause looked into the case of the TikTok application. The latter offers, like the majority of social networks, an integrated browser that allows access to links shared by users without having to leave the platform. This technique allows TikTok to learn more about your browsing, which pages you visit and to establish a more personalized profile to better target the content of the advertisements you will receive while using TikTok.
However, the social network goes further. According to Felix Krause, it injects JavaScript code on the pages you visit and is able to capture all the information you type on your keyboard. Potentially, TikTok can therefore save your passwords, all of your searches or, even worse, your banking information on its servers if you buy a product seen in a publication a few minutes before.
Use your default browser: a good reflex to adopt in case of doubt
Asked about this, TikTok formally denies any spying on its users through its browser. The network recognizes the addition of a code on each website visited, but explains it for technical reasons, as reported by one of its spokespersons: ” Like other platforms, we use an in-app browser to provide the best user experience, but the JavaScript code in question is only used for debugging, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring of that experience, such as checking how fast a page loads or if it freezes. »
These explanations, however, do not convince Felix Krause, who speaks for his part of ” an active choice that the company has made “. ” This is a non-trivial engineering task. This does not happen by mistake or randomly “, he adds.
A few days ago, the researcher had targeted the built-in browsers of Facebook and Instagram applications, both properties of the Meta group. Under the guise of improving the user experience, they also use code to retrieve personal browsing data. The demonstration does not, however, confirm that TikTok or Meta actually use this data, but doubt remains.
To avoid any problems, we recommend that you use the browser on your mobile device each time you visit. TikTok, Facebook or Instagram all offer you an option to open the page with your own default browser, and we strongly advise you to take this reflex in order to protect your privacy a little more.
Source : Forbes
7