By TechThop Team
Posted on: 22 Aug, 2022
According to open-source research, the Chinese tech giant can collect keystrokes or text inputs now research suggests that clicking on an ad or a link inside the TikTok app may expose you to a form of surveillance used by malicious hackers.
A new study published last week by Felix Krause reveals that one of the most popular social media platforms can deploy an in-app keystroke logger, a type of devastating tool hackers often use to obtain passwords, credit card numbers, and other confidential data.
The Austrian tech engineer warns TikTok users at that point that the Chinese company could see every letter they type.'They would also have tracking codes, which could potentially track the activity of users on external websites,' Felix Krause told 5 On Your Side on Sunday.
As soon as you click on a link inside the TikTok app, that software is open. In your browser, Safari, Firefox, you are safe.'We do not collect keystrokes or text inputs through this code,' TikTok told the New York Times, so Krause responded by posting the evidence and code online.
As a result of his new findings, Western scrutiny of the Chinese tech company has become increasingly skeptical. Using fake websites, Krause tracked information entering and leaving TikTok and found that the app could log your keystrokes when you click on a link.
He explained his method as setting up traps and seeing if anyone called them. It turns out those were JavaScript functions, which is the language that is used by websites on the front end.
The safety experts have long warned about the ways TikTok spies on its users, such as storing photos on your photo album or tracking your location. American soldiers are already prohibited from using TikTok by the Pentagon.
As a result of the app's aggressive spying methods, the U.S. House strongly discouraged members of Congress from using it. The Senate Intelligence Committee's Mark Warner and Marco Rubio urged the Federal Trade Commission last month to investigate TikTok for 'improper access.'
The Federal Communications Commission urged Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores in June. In my opinion, the main change will be that Apple will be much stricter about those things,' Krause said. Users' privacy is Apple's top priority.'
The Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has a similar feature, but Krause maintains that those apps allow users to surf the web more safely by leaving their in-app browser.
When you use TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook to access another website, your data may become more vulnerable, Krause cautions.
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