Highlights of TikTok’s New Privacy Policy
TikTok updated its privacy policy on June 2 for USA users.The app may collect biometric information and identifiers under the policy.It can collect faceprints and voiceprints under the new policy.The new policy is the step towards the company’s commitment to transparency.
TikTok, a Chinese video-sharing app, often remains in controversy for its policies. Now, the app has come up with the new US privacy policy on June 2, 2021. According to the updated privacy policy, the app “may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information.” Biometric information includes “faceprints and voiceprints,” the platform explained. Ticktock failed to give any reasonable reason for its policy of playing with the personal data of users. But, the app has affirmed, it will collect the information only with the consent of users. Inserted the biometric data collection details in the freshly added section, “Image and Audio Information,” placed under the heading “Information we collect automatically” in the policy. Under this part of TikTok, a list of the data types is available it will automatically collect from the users.
Explanation of the New section
Part one of the new section explains the app may fetch all the information concerning the audio and image in the video created by the user. The data includes identifying the scenery and object, location within body and face, the nature of audio, and the words spoken in the video shown in the video. While that is terrifying, all the social media platforms do object recognition on the images in the content for accessibility features and target suitable users for the ad. Recognizing the location of the user and picture aid with the AR effects. Further, the audio of the user helps in generating the automatic cations. Under the policy, TikTok can use the data for video effects, demographic classification, content regulation, and other non-personal operations. The policies seem fine when compared with the policies of similar platforms except for the biometric system. However, it’s a matter of concern for a lot of users.
Official Statement on TikTok’s New Privacy Policy
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 before any such collection. The ambiguous statement does not provide any clarity. Whether the company is talking about state laws, federal law, or both? Moreover, unlike the first part of the policy, the reason for collecting the biometric data is not mentioned in the clause. Further, from the clause, it is not clear from whom the company will take consent. A spokesperson from the company gave a vague reason for the company’s commitment to transparency. He stated “As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, we recently updated our Privacy Policy to provide more clarity on the information we may collect.”
Did Donald Trump Forecast it?
It seems that the apprehension of Donald Trump, the former USA President, was justified. His government tried to ban TikTok due to its privacy policy. In addition, he called it a threat to national security due to the ownership of the Chinese company. TikTok retaliated and stated that the company stores the USA data on US and Singapore data centers. It further added that the app has not shared any data with the Chinese government and will not ever do that in the future. Furthermore, the case stopped in mid due to the presidential election in the USA. Therefore, the stand of John bidden is not clear on the issue. The action of updating privacy policy seems the result of a class-action suit filed against TikTok in May 2020 for violation of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. More than 20 users were part of the suit, who alleged using the personal data without the users’ consent. The app paid $92 million to the opposite parties for the settlement. For refraining from such suits, the company has developed the plan of inclusion of biometric data in the privacy policy. The updated policy is only for the USA and not for any other country.
1 Highlights of TikTok’s New Privacy Policy2 Explanation of the New section3 Official Statement on TikTok’s New Privacy Policy4 Did Donald Trump Forecast it?
