TikTok, the popular video posting app, has come under increased scrutiny. Recently, two lawsuits filed against the platform accused TikTok of privacy violations.

According to a report from Reuters, a plaintiff accused TikTok of creating an account without her knowledge or consent in one lawsuit filed in California.

The lawsuit accused TikTok of creating a file on the user. This file allegedly included biometric data based on videos that the user created, but did not upload. Finally, the lawsuit claimed that TikTok transferred user data and websites visited to servers in China.

According to thepenn.org, a class-action lawsuit filed by more than two hundred parents accused Musical.ly (an app owned by the same company that owns TikTik, ByteDance Ltd.) of collecting personal information on children under the age of 13 who used the app. That data included username, email, phone number, bios, and profile picture.

In both lawsuits, we see a common denominator: privacy. For years, we have been warned of the dangers of visiting websites. We’re well aware of threats such as stolen data and malware infections, but what about those pertaining to our apps? Smartphone technology is continually improving. As we move forward, we will see better protection against malware on our devices.

Apple has championed its sandboxing methodology concerning apps. Basically, with sandboxing, what happens on one app does not affect another app. If you have an infected or corrupted app on your iPhone, all you need to do is delete the app.

Android phones are a different situation. A user has more control when it comes to modifying their phone and installing random apps.

Yet going back to the allegations against TikTok, what happens when an app is not corrupted and is working as intended? What happens when our data is (Read more...)