TikTok Guideline Changes Could Hand Over Your IP Address to ICE & DHS

TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the US, with 82.2 million daily active users, and 33% of adults access the app, according to recent reports. The app is also a hit worldwide as it expands its capacity not only through short-form videos but also live streaming and shopping.

With its popularity, certain security features on the app have been questioned, and its latest guideline changes increase the risk to users, as their personal information could be shared with law enforcement agencies.

Data Request by Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies requiring information from social media websites is nothing new. Law enforcement agencies can investigate criminals, fraudsters, and accounts associated with any criminal activity with the help of data provided from social media websites such as TikTok. Last year, Cyber News reported that social media websites, despite the promise of increased security for their users, are actually cooperating nicely with government requests “up to 80%” of the time. Of course, the request should be legal, and the requirements have to be complete. Law Enforcement Agencies have been adept at these processes for a while.

So what changed?

There are two significant changes to TikTok’s Law Enforcement Guidelines:

●     Requesting Officer - courts could request personal information from TikTok, and will be compelled to share data by law. Recent changes have included a “Requesting Officer” for data about a TikTok user.

●     User Notification - this is the verbatim update on the guidelines:

“Where required by law, we will notify TikTok users if we disclose their data to law enforcement. We may not provide such notice where it: (a) is prohibited under applicable law; (b) would jeopardize an investigation; and/or (c) would put individuals at risk of harm. TikTok will rely on the requesting law enforcement authority to clearly indicate that their request has met the criteria set out in these Law Enforcement Guidelines.”

Previously, every social media website had to inform its users that law enforcement agencies had requested their information. TikTok has now made it optional, depending on the circumstances. This is troubling because an individual will not have the option to challenge the release of data if they are not informed about the request.

Information Available for Law Enforcement

While Law Enforcement Agencies should indicate the information they need and its reason, TikTok can be compelled to provide the following:

●     Subscriber Information

●     Log-in/Log-Out Data (Including the IP Address)

●     Content Information

●     Transaction Information

●     IP Address Logs for Transactions

Is Your Data in Trouble?

Unfortunately, TikTok will not confirm or deny if they have provided information to ICE according to Forbes. It is an uncomfortable situation as your data could be extracted by various law enforcement agencies without a judge’s order. If you use the app, your IP address and other sensitive information that are already stored in TikTok servers are already up for grabs as the law enforcement guidelines have widened the scope of requesting authorities. For now, there are no reports that ICE or DHS have used TikTok to go after individuals.