Why was TikTok Banned ? What was TikTok Doing

TikTok was a data collection service that was thinly-veiled as a social network, for tons of data few rupees were paid to TikToker’s.

It use to get information on you, your contacts, or your device, Phone hardware (cpu type, number of course, hardware ids, screen dimensions, dpi, memory usage, disk space, etc), Other apps you have installed. Privacy Violated to the core.

Everything network-related (ip, local ip, router mac, your mac, wifi access point name), Whether or not you're rooted/jailbroken.

Some variants of the app had GPS pinging enabled at the time, roughly once every 30 seconds - this is enabled by default if you ever location-tag a post IIRC.

They set up a local proxy server on your device for "transcoding media", but that can be abused very easily as it has zero authentication.

The scariest part of all of this is that much of the logging they're doing is remotely configurable, and unless you reverse every single one of their native libraries and manually inspect every single obfuscated function. They have several different protections in place to prevent you from reversing or debugging the app as well. App behavior changes slightly if they know you're trying to figure out what they're doing. There's also a few snippets of code on the Android version that allows for the downloading of a remote zip file, unzipping it, and executing said binary. There is zero reason a mobile app would need this functionality legitimately.

On top of all of the above, they weren't even using HTTPS for the longest time. They leaked users' email addresses in their HTTP REST API, as well as their secondary emails used for password resets. Don't forget about users' real names and birthdays, too. It was allllll publicly viewable a few months ago if you MITM'd the application.

They provide users with a taste of "virality" to entice them to stay on the platform. Your first TikTok post will likely garner quite a bit of likes, regardless of how good it is.. assuming you get past the initial moderation queue if thats still a thing. Most users end up chasing the dragon. Oh, there's also a ton of creepy old men who have direct access to children on the app, and I've personally seen (and reported) some really suspect stuff. 40-50 year old men getting 8-10 year old girls to do "duets" with them with sexually suggestive songs. Those videos are posted publicly. TikTok has direct messaging functionality.

Here's the thing though.. they don't want you to know how much information they're collecting on you, and the security implications of all of that data in one place, en masse, are really huge. They encrypt all of the analytics requests with an algorithm that changes with every update (at the very least the keys change) just so you can't see what they're doing. They also made it so you cannot use the app at all if you block communication to their analytics host off at the DNS-level.

Now, I when I spoke to my TikToker friends they were completely blanketed with the fame and money. Their addiction made them question me , even if TiKTok has taken my data or knows where I am so what ? I don’t mind and what happens to the data already gone?

I had to explain them with my examples that when u models and TikTokers go near my BMW car and make video because it is Kul even my location is compromised. This is because your location shows my cars location, date and time. The car owners database is openly available on Internet. Joining these data points My movement’s get tracked, my privacy even though I don’t have TiKTok in my mobile is compromised.

Your front camera and microphone is compromised means who you meet, what you do and what you talk all is comprised.

Since, other Apps On your mobile data gets accessed by TikTok, that means what photos you take , what medicines you buy online even which all other competitors social media Apps you use is known to them.

What is your heart beat or pulse rate or blood pressure is also known to them thanks to your health Apps, they even know how much square foot is your house or terrace where you shoot your videos, Google to find out how if you don’t trust me 😊

Researchers have reversed the Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter apps. They don't collect anywhere near the same amount of data that TikTok does, and they sure aren't outright trying to hide exactly whats being sent like TikTok is. It's like comparing a cup of water to the ocean - they just don't compare. TikTok was clearly the states cyber Weapon in the larger Cyberwarfare to collect Data. 

Advocate (Dr.) Prashant Mali

Cyber & Privacy Law Expert