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TikTok

Social & Community

Source-backed from the published policy documents behind this report

86
reviewed findings
15
key findings
3
free to read here
2
verified controls

1 of them depends on where you live.

Privacy Snapshot

What the published policy covers, and how much we found under each. Tap one to read it.

  • Location 3 findings
  • Camera & Photos 2 findings
  • Contacts 1 finding
  • Messages 4 findings
  • Biometrics 2 findings
  • Sensitive Data 5 findings
  • Tracking 8 findings
  • Advertising & Profiling 13 findings
  • Sharing 22 findings
  • Controls & Permissions 14 findings
  • Other 12 findings

3 findings, in full

The first 3 of this report’s 15 key findings, complete — claim, reasoning, and the policy’s own wording.

Biometrics TikTok may collect faceprints and voiceprints from your content

What this means

TikTok states it may collect biometric identifiers and information, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from user content, seeking permissions where the law requires them.

TikTok may collect biometric identifiers and information, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from user content, seeking required permissions where required by law.

Why this matters

Biometrics identify a person rather than a device, and unlike a password they cannot be changed.

What the policy says

We may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information as defined under US laws, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from your user content. Where required by law, we will seek any required permissions from you prior to any such collection. Click here to learn more.

From TikTok Privacy Policy (US)

View the source document Source captured on

Tracking Partners tell TikTok what you did outside TikTok's websites and apps

What this means

Advertisers, publishers and measurement partners report your activity elsewhere, including pages visited, products purchased and apps downloaded.

Advertisers, publishers, and measurement partners provide TikTok with information about actions you have taken outside TikTok's websites and apps, including pages visited, products or services purchased, and apps downloaded.

Why this matters

It builds a picture from places you never associated with TikTok at all.

What the policy says

Advertisers, publishers, and measurement and other partners provide us with information about you and the actions you have taken outside of our websites and apps, including the pages you visit, products or services you purchase, and apps you download. These partners also provide information such as mobile identifiers for advertising, hashed email addresses and phone numbers, and cookie identifiers, which we use to help measure the effectiveness of ads we serve and to better deliver ads to you on our websites and apps, or through TikTok Ad Network elsewhere online, …

From TikTok Privacy Policy (US)

View the source document Source captured on

What you can do

A privacy control may reduce part of this practice, where it is available to you.

Plainlyst Premium shows where to find it, what it changes, what it doesn’t change, and what may stop working.

View in Privacy Tune-Up
Location TikTok collects approximate or precise location if you enable location services

What this means

Where a user turns on location services for the app, TikTok collects approximate or precise location information from the device.

If a user enables location services for the TikTok app, TikTok collects approximate or precise location information from the device.

Why this matters

Precise location is the most sensitive thing a phone routinely shares, and the switch sits in your device settings.

What the policy says

Also, if you choose to enable location services for the TikTok app within your device settings, we collect approximate or precise location information from your device. You can turn off location services from your device settings at any time.

From TikTok Privacy Policy (US)

View the source document Source captured on

12 more key findings a free account opens, by topic

  • Tracking 4
  • Advertising & Profiling 3
  • Biometrics 1
  • Contacts 1
  • Location 1
  • Messages 1
  • Sensitive Data 1

Create a free account to read all 15

And every key finding for every company you use, with your companies saved and a dashboard of what is worth seeing across them, plus your Privacy Tune-Up. An email and a password — no card.

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Unlock the complete TikTok report

A free account opens all 15 key findings. 71 additional reviewed findings are available in the complete report.

  • Location 1 more
  • Camera & Photos 2 more
  • Messages 3 more
  • Sensitive Data 4 more
  • Tracking 3 more
  • Advertising & Profiling 10 more
  • Sharing 22 more
  • Controls & Permissions 14 more
  • Other 12 more

  • Complete report

    71 additional reviewed findings, each shown with the policy wording behind it, like the 15 above.

  • Privacy Tune-Up

    2 verified privacy controls, 1 of them high-impact — where each one is, what it changes, and what may stop working.

  • Stay protectedPlanned

    Told when the policy changes.

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Plainlyst simplifies selected disclosures from privacy policies. It does not claim to capture every statement or practice in a policy, and it is not legal advice.

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Official sources only. Every finding quotes the company’s own policy, and every record names the document behind it. We do not grade anybody.