Is TikTok Really a National Security Threat? New Report From University of Toronto Says No

By Scott Ikeda for CPO Magazine
Tuesday, March 30, 2021

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The report thus does not completely settle the question of whether TikTok is a national security threat. It provides a strong indication that the app itself is not misbehaving and not passing data directly to Chinese servers, but it does not preclude the possibility that data could find its way to the Chinese government by other routes that cannot be directly tracked. And while it is considered “relatively” safe, that means relative to services that scoop up a tremendous amount of personal data that could present a national security threat in the wrong hands. As Ilia Kolochenko, Founder and Chief Architect for ImmuniWeb, points out: “Today, many social networks deploy borderline data collection practices that defy the very purpose of privacy protection, while staying lawful from a formalistic viewpoint. Likely, during the next 2-3 years we will see a sunrise of user privacy in most civilized countries that will terminate any dubious practices of social networks and monopolistic IT companies.”

One item that is confirmed by the report is that TikTok is employing device fingerprinting to track users, specifically canvas fingerprinting. That process will soon be forbidden on Apple devices as part of the new iOS 14 privacy package, but it remains to be seen if ByteDance and other Chinese companies will comply. Read Full Article