Q&A: Should you worry about TikTok’s new terms of service? – UVA Today

(Illustration by John DiJulio, University Communications)
As American companies assumed majority ownership of TikTok, users across the United States were forced to accept new terms of service. The popular short-form video platform is already facing scrutiny for allegedly suppressing political content critical of ICE, censoring messages mentioning convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and presenting users with a take-it-or-leave-it privacy agreement offering no option to opt out.
TikTok blamed the alleged censorship on a power outage at a data center, but users continue to sound the alarm. People decried the new terms across other social media platforms, with some promising to delete their TikTok accounts. 
UVA Today talked to University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce associate professor Chris Maurer, a cybersecurity expert, to see whether TikTok users should be worried about potential invasions of privacy.
Q. What’s new about the new terms of service?
Chris Maurer is an associate professor and cybersecurity expert in the McIntire School of Commerce. “Most users are not fully aware of the extent to which social media companies collect data and use it for different purposes,” he said. (Contributed photo)
A. One of the biggest changes relates to location data. Previously, TikTok was only collecting approximate location based on your IP address, which generally is only accurate at the city level. The updated terms now permit TikTok to collect more precise location based on GPS, which can be accurate to within several meters.
Another major update relates to advertising. Previously, TikTok’s terms only mentioned using personal data to tailor in-app advertising, but the new terms extend to advertising outside of the app as well. Some explicit guidance around data usage for generative AI purposes was also added to the new terms.
While there has been some uproar about how the updated terms explicitly mention the collection of personal data, including citizenship/immigration status, sexual orientation and mental/physical health diagnoses, these were already in TikTok’s privacy policy before the spinoff as a U.S.-based entity.
Q. Do you think people’s alarm is warranted?
A. Yes and no. I think some of the responses are a bit of an overreaction, given that a lot of the things in the updated policies were already happening in the old TikTok app and are happening on other social media platforms. 
However, most users are not fully aware of the extent to which social media companies collect data and use it for different purposes. So, when new terms are released and there is a public outcry, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for people to question whether they want to share this data with companies.
Q. How might a company use data like a user’s health, political affiliation or exact location?
A. Personal data is traditionally used in two primary ways: to provide targeted advertising and to increase engagement. These are often documented in privacy policies because companies are legally obligated to disclose how they use your data. 
From an advertising perspective, the combination of many types of personal data paints a clear picture of who we are and what types of ads we may be more likely to click through. For example, a new mother may be shown ads for diapers. But if I also know that this new mother is posting content from her home that is 25 minutes from the nearest big box store, it may be better to send her ads for a subscription diaper delivery service instead.
On the engagement front, by having data along so many personal dimensions, TikTok and other social media platforms can display content that they believe you will be interested in, which means you keep scrolling on their platform for longer. This ultimately results in them showing you more ads and them earning more revenue. 
Engagement goes in two directions, however. The same way an algorithm can promote content because it aligns with your personal interests, it can theoretically limit the amount of content that aligns with those interests. I am not claiming that TikTok is currently censoring content or purposely amplifying certain types of content, but this is always a possibility on social media platforms and is something we all can watch out for as the new U.S. TikTok algorithm matures.
Q. Is there a way to use TikTok, or other social media platforms, without offering corporations this information?
A. You can typically limit the amount of data collected, but never prevent it entirely, unless you delete your account and stop using the service. Specific to the new TikTok terms, you can disable the collection of your precise location by changing the location settings on your phone. 
Doing so will not prevent the app from working. There are also settings within the app that you can adjust to limit (but not prevent entirely) the amount of personal data collected. Unfortunately, these settings are often buried deep in the app and are constantly changing, so it is hard to keep up with how to adjust them. 
Q. Some people have decided to delete their TikTok accounts in response. If these users go to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, is their data necessarily safer?
A. Not in any significant way. Every social media company earns money through advertising and to do this, they need to collect a lot of personal information from users. While each platform may have slightly different data points they collect on their users, all of them are trying to extract as much information about you as possible. 
As the old saying goes, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” So, people should understand what data is being collected, how it is being used to generate revenue for these companies and make an informed decision on whether to continue using those platforms.
Alice Berry
University News Associate Office of University Communications
aberry@virginia.edu 434-924-6861

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