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Some light reading: https://rufposten.de/blog/2019/12/05/privacy-analysis-of-tiktoks-app-and-website/ https://rufposten.de/blog/2019/12/05/privacy-analysis-of-

• a13n 6y ago
  I just read/skimmed each of these links. Is this any less data than is collected by Facebook or Google in their apps/websites? This seems like mostly an issue with the fact that Android lets apps get at this much data - something that should be fixed at the OS-level. There's very little mention of similar practices/vulnerabilities on iOS.
  • vesche 6y ago
    You read all of that in 8 minutes? Try again and maybe even read the very first link. Facebook and Google aren't creating unique fingerprints for you based on high frequency audio... Read the two other research reports, they mention that TikTok's aggressive data collection is much more extreme than apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Why defend China? You are aware that they are currently conducting an operation that is likely the worst human rights crisis since the Holocaust. You need to re-evaluate your views.
    • jml7c5 6y ago
      >Try again and maybe even read the very first link. >You are aware that they are currently conducting an operation that is likely the worst human rights crisis since the Holocaust. You need to re-evaluate your views. Please don't belittle or look down upon others. It does not foster discussion.
      • vesche 6y ago
        Do you wake up in the morning thinking... Ahhh what a great nights sleep, better login to HN and defend my favorite genocidal, communist, surveillance state, anti-freedom, global super power: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23795989 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23795989 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23758513 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23758513 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23689255 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23689255 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22854487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22854487
• mike00632 6y ago
  The first article: "... the device information, usage time and list of watched videos are being sent to Appsflyer and Facebook." Hardly a smoking gun. Not only is this standard industry practice but the analytics servers in question here are American. The author says this violates European law (it doesn't). Then they go on to describe device fingerprinting which is also standard practice and has legitimate uses. The second article's main point is that there are Chinese IP addresses in the APK and the privacy policies of different Chinese companies allow for data sharing. The author doesn't witness any communication with these IP addresses. There are plenty of non-malicious reasons why a URL or IP address of a different company (Chinese or otherwise) would be in an APK. Maybe there is a library being used or the code in question might not even pertain to non-Chinese region versions. It would be like accusing a website of stealing data because they could use a Google font (interaction with Google IP address) and Google has such and such a privacy policy or history. The famous Reddit comment which everyone seems to love is clearly fake. The author provided zero evidence when asked, saying that the hard drive on their MacBook failed and it is too difficult to "reverse engineer" the apps again. The accusations and methods are irredeemably vague. If the United States is going to become like China and start banning apps then it shouldn't be over a Reddit comment written by someone whose dog ate their homework.