On January 17, the Supreme Court upheld a congress ban regarding an app many students take close to heart: TikTok. On this social media platform are millions of short videos ranging from every imaginable topic including cooking, hobbies and “story time”. A whooping 34 million videos are uploaded on a daily basis.
In the halls of RM, many students are often seen filming short dances and videos with each other as well as teachers. Others use the app to pass time during study periods and free time.
Some students even purchase items from TikTok through the development of TikTok Shop- an online platform where small businesses can sell and advertise their products.
“You can find a lot of cheaper items and brand made things on deals. It is fast fashion but it’s also convenient. I’ve gotten my phone case from there and other small things like candles and stationary,” senior Kaeden Robertson said.
The platform is owned by ByteDance: A company based in China and founded by Zhang Yiming.
Aside from allowing users to express through filters and background music, the app has been repeatedly accused of stealing user information and data. According to Johns Hopkins University, the accusations began in December of 2022 when 14 states created legislation to prevent citizens from using the app under all circumstances. Experts also noted that users must be on alert as their basic information can be easily accessed and can then be used to locate an individual or place.
Other pieces of information may include keystroke patterns, user’s activities on other websites, biometric identifiers of fingerprints/voiceprints and objects/scenery that appear in videos.
“It’s definitely scary thinking about how they can track things I do even when the app says everything is private,” senior Emily Perkins said.
It is not uncommon for social media platforms to be accused of stealing user information. In March of 2018, the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal sparked numerous questions about Facebook’s privacy law. Millions of user information was stolen by a Trump aide to create fake voter profiles. Creating these profiles required the user’s basic information including name, address, date of birth, etc. Outside parties noted that Facebook gave permission to these third parties to access user information, but failed to regulate any of their actions.
In January of 2023, more than 200 million user emails began circulating on hacker forums after a massive data breach swept through the platform. All users are advised to pay special attention to phishing attacks and any unusual requests/behavior associated with any aspect of the platform.
“I think a lot of students can agree that we don’t want TikTok to be banned as it’s a really fun app to use, but when it comes to safety and security, that is more important,” Robertson said.
