TikTok tracks your every move, even if you don't have the TikTok app

"There's a sophisticated advertising algorithm in the background that's been particularly active and aggressive since TikTok's takeover by US investors, namely Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. It distributes secret little tracking pixels that can track users across multiple websites, regardless of whether they have the TikTok app on their device. According to the BBC, this is a deliberate tactic used to create user profiles and deliver targeted advertising. These user profiles contain a wealth of data, including information on purchases made, email addresses,"

"One example from the report mentions a form in which users were asked to indicate whether or not they were cancer patients. The click was then immediately forwarded to TikTok via a pixel embedded in the website. Other cases involved fertility issues and mental illnesses. How is TikTok identifying users? Website operators themselves are unaware that TikTok has installed these tracking pixels on their sites. Therefore, they can't consent to (or reject) the practice."

"The BBC states that in some cases, TikTok even intercepts data that was intended to be transmitted to Google. Data privacy experts describe TikTok's approach as "extremely invasive." Even if TikTok subsequently filters out sensitive data, it should not be intercepting this information without users' knowledge in the first place. In addition, people without their own accounts have limited options for preventing TikTok from processing their data."

TikTok's advertising system embeds tracking pixels on multiple websites, enabling cross-site tracking of people regardless of TikTok account status. The pixels collect detailed information to build user profiles containing purchase history, email addresses, and sensitive health details. Clicks on forms about cancer, fertility, or mental illness have been forwarded to TikTok via embedded pixels. Website operators often do not know the pixels are present and cannot consent or refuse. In some cases TikTok intercepts data meant for other services such as Google. Data privacy experts call the practice extremely invasive and non-users have few options to prevent processing.

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