Notes

Calls Make TikTok to Be BANNED Over Chinese Spying Fears

Australians are being warned to remove TikTok from their phones after a new report by cyber security experts revealed that sensitive information was being transferred back to China.



Internet 2.0, a security firm, uncovered the source code of the most popular video sharing platform. It was downloaded by more than 750,000 Australians. This allowed them to observe how a range of data was being targeted without the user even being aware.



The Beijing-backed app scans the device's hard drive and taps into calendars of phone numbers and contact lists to look for any other apps.



TikTok will also check the location of the device at least once an hour. According to the report, it will continue to search for data from contacts even when permission is refused.



The platform is mostly used by youngsters 18 and younger. It beat Google to become the world's most popular website by 2021. It is mostly comprised of short dance videos that are generally regarded as harmless.



However, with the communist superpower a world leader in data collection, AI and facial recognition software, there are concerns that TikTok is being used by Beijing to spy on young people in the west.



Following a report by experts in cyber security, Australians are being warned not to make use of TikTok on their smartphones. This is because sensitive data is being transmitted back to China (stock image).



Robert Potter Internet 2.0 CEO The CEO of Robert Potter Internet 2.0 has accused TikTok and its parent company ByteDance of being deceitful.



He told Nine that their source code wasn't compatible with their public statements regarding the app's functionality.



TikTok claims that all user data for the region is stored in Singapore and only accessed by the few users who require it to operate the site.



The IP address is located located in Singapore The network traffic does not leave the region and it is utterly false to claim that there is communication with China,' the company stated in an announcement.
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Mr Potter said that his team's findings revealed that Apple smartphones were connecting to servers in China. However, they couldn't say what information was being transmitted.



He stated that there were significant traffic flows to servers in China.



In the report, that was distributed to Australian and US politicians, Internet 2.0 said TikTok was not transparent about the information it sought and the location it was sent.



The Beijing-backed app accesses users' smartphone calendars and contacts list, as well as scans the device's ID and hard drive to monitor all other apps that have been installed



"During the analysis, we were not able to discern with certainty the purpose for the connection, or where the user data is stored,' the report said.



Guizhou Baishan Cloud Technology is a cloud-based cybersecurity company that runs the China server connection.



The subdomain that was connected to the China server connection was resolved in various locations around the world, including China.'



TikTok also requested access external storage in a manner that was deemed excessive.



The report said that "This is an ordinary command for a social media app to store video and pictures."



"The most important aspect that we find to be excessive is that TikTok does not just retrieve the ability see folders, but also retrieves a list listing all items in the external storage folder.



The report stated the app gathered more information than it needed in order to function.



The TikTok mobile application was built with a culture that does not consider privacy as a fundamental principle, since the majority of permissions and device information being collected are more than required for the application to work in the first place,' the report stated.



China is a world leader in data collection, AI, and facial recognition software. There are concerns that TikTok could be used by Beijing for spying on western youth. Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping



TikTok claimed that the data it gathers is in line with industry standards and is encrypted securely.



Mr. Potter pointed out that as the company was based in China it is governed by Chinese laws and could be obliged to turn over any data requested by the Communist Party.



'Because it is domiciled and is a Chinese company, it is controlled by Chinese law first, which means it operates in a very different privacy society,' he added.



Chinese law requires that individuals and organizations'support, help and cooperate with the state intelligence task'.



TikTok has said that its employees will never share information with the Chinese government, and have not been requested to do so.



James Paterson, a Liberal Senator, called for the government to block the app.



It was enough of a concern to find out that user data was being accessed in mainland China the country, Mr Paterson said.



"It is alarming to know the amount of data taken from TikTok users and how much of it is not needed.



"It's difficult to imagine a legitimate reason why excessive data are being collected especially when it's accessible by the Chinese government."



"The Albanese government must stop sitting on its hands and take action to protect Australians privacy and cybersecurity.'



You can limit information sharing via TikTok by setting your phone's settings, and it is more restricted for computers.



James Paterson, a Liberal Senator, has voiced concern about TikTok's data collection and possible use by China



Experts say the only way to stop an app from collecting data is to delete it.



Vanessa Teague, an ANU expert in data encryption, said that the app could collect information about payment and financial transactions photographs and videos messages audio and sound recordings, and web browsing history.



Blocking location information from the app won't be effective if videos were tagged with the GPS location.



Dr Teague gave a concise advice to people who are concerned about privacy.



She said to SBS, "Delete the app."



'TikTok... is less transparent than Facebook and tends to be subject to less scrutiny (as its) located in less democratic countries.



Daily Mail Australia has reached out to TikTok for more details.


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