TikTok

Pierluigi Paganini November 07, 2024
Canada ordered ByteDance to shut down TikTok operations in the country over security concerns

Canada ordered ByteDance to shut down TikTok operations over security concerns but did not issue a full ban on the platform. The Canadian government ordered ByteDance to wind up TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. over security concerns following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act Canada’s decision to require ByteDance to dissolve the operations of […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 03, 2024
US sued TikTok and ByteDance for violating children’s privacy laws

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, for extensive violations of children’s privacy laws. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against TikTok Inc., its parent company ByteDance Ltd., and their affiliates […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 05, 2024
CNN, Paris Hilton, and Sony TikTok accounts hacked via DMs

A vulnerability in the popular video-sharing platform TikTok allowed threat actors to take over the accounts of celebrities. Threat actors exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the video-sharing platform TikTok to hijack high-profile accounts. The vulnerability resides in the direct messages feature implemented by the platform, reported Forbes. The malware spreads through direct messages within the app […]

Pierluigi Paganini September 16, 2023
TikTok fined €345M by Irish DPC for violating children’s privacy

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined TikTok €345 million ($368 million) for violating the privacy of children. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined TikTok €345 million for violating children’s privacy. The Irish data regulators discovered that the popular video-sharing app allowed adults to send direct messages to certain teenagers who have no family […]

Pierluigi Paganini May 15, 2023
Former ByteDance executive alleges TikTok of wrongful conduct

A former ByteDance executive revealed that the China government has access to TikTok data, including data stored in the United. Yintao Yu, the head of engineering for ByteDance’s U.S. operations from August 2017 to November 2018, revealed that the Chinese government has access to all TikTok data, including information stored in the United. He explained […]

Pierluigi Paganini February 23, 2023
The European Commission has banned its staff from using TikTok over security concerns

The European Commission has banned its employees from using the Chinese social media app TikTok over security concerns. The European Union has banned the popular Chinese video-sharing app TikTok from the mobile devices of its employees over security concerns. The app developed by the Chinese firm ByteDance has over 1 billion active users worldwide, it […]

Pierluigi Paganini January 14, 2023
French CNIL fined Tiktok $5.4 Million for violating cookie laws

French data protection watchdog fined short-form video hosting service TikTok €5 million for breaking cookie consent rules. The Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL) has fined short-form video hosting service TikTok €5 million (about $5.4 million) for violating cookie consent rules. French data protection watchdog claims that users are not able to refuse cookies, as easily […]

Pierluigi Paganini December 23, 2022
TikTok parent company ByteDance revealed the use of TikTok data to track journalists

ByteDance admitted that its employees accessed TikTok data to track journalists to identify the source of leaks to the media. TikTok parent company ByteDance revealed that several employees accessed the TikTok data of two journalists to investigate leaks of company information to the media.  According to an email from ByteDance’s general counsel Erich Andersen which […]

Pierluigi Paganini November 30, 2022
Attackers abused the popular TikTok Invisible Challenge to spread info-stealer

Threat actors are exploiting interest in a popular TikTok challenge, dubbed Invisible Challenge, to trick users into downloading info-stealing malware. Threat actors are exploiting the popularity of a TikTok challenge, called Invisible Challenge, to trick users into downloading information-stealing malware, Checkmarx researchers warn. People participating in the Invisible Challenge have to apply a filter called Invisible […]

Pierluigi Paganini November 03, 2022
Updated TikTok Privacy Policy confirms that Chinese staff can access European users’ data

TikTok updated its privacy policy for European Economic Area (“EEA”) and confirmed that its Chinese staff can access their users’ data. The short-form video-sharing service TikTok updated its privacy policy for European Economic Area (“EEA”), the UK, and Switzerland and confirmed that its users’ data can be accessed by its personnel, including Chinese employees. European user data […]