London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

China's TikTok No More Intrusive to Privacy Than Western Social Media Apps, Study Suggests

China's TikTok No More Intrusive to Privacy Than Western Social Media Apps, Study Suggests

TikTok has come under attack in the West from rival app developers and governments alike, with claims that the China-based video-sharing platform is "spyware" or is censored on the orders of the Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok does not invade user privacy or censor posts any more than does Facebook or Twitter — and maybe less so, according to a Canadian study.

The new study, from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab and published on Monday, compared TikTok's source code with that of Douyin, developer ByteDance's parallel app for the Chinese market.

The study found no evidence that the app collects contact lists, records or sends photos, audio, video or geolocation coordinates without user permission.

"Both TikTok and Douyin have source code for restricting search results for content labeled as 'hate speech,' 'suicide prevention,' and 'sensitive'," the report said. The authors speculated that "sensitive " might be shorthand for “politically sensitive”, but could not confirm the assertion.

The team said evidence of whether TikTok employs "political censorship of user posts" — as Facebook and Twitter both do — is "inconclusive." While they found that Douyin overtly restricts searches for some political terms, the research suggests that TikTok does not.

TikTok contains "dormant" code from Douyin, however, which researchers believe can be used to turn on "China-specific" features, including search censorship. The claim could not, however, be asserted with 100% surety, according to the study.

The app has come under attack from US rivals who call it "spyware" and politicians who claim it allows Beijing's ruling Communist Party to censor material it deems subversive or seditious. The app now sets the accounts of under-16s as 'private' by default after concerns over safeguarding.

The former US president, Donald Trump, tried unsuccessfully to ban TikTok and subsequently force ByteDance to sell off its US operations. The Biden administration has suggested that it will not reverse those steps.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×