TikTok, which debuted in its current incarnation in 2018, quickly ascended to the top of the social media food chain. By September 2021, there were roughly 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. By the end of the year, TikTok users are expected to have downloaded the app three billion times globally and spent $3 billion on iOS and Google Play, according to the 2022 marketing study. TikTok has a history of aggressively gathering huge amounts of data from its users in order to follow them. The app’s algorithm, which looks to be manipulated, makes it seem unstoppable. You, the user, have no control over where or how your information is used. So, you have good cause to stop using TikTok. However, if you must use it, you can still prevent it from tracking you—at least considerably. We mentioned below are the ways to stop TikTok from spying on you in iOS.
Ways to stop TikTok from spying on you in iOS
Avoid Registering With Third-Party Social Apps
Similar to many other apps, TikTok lets users sign up or log in with their social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. Despite the fact that you may find this more convenient than creating registration fields from scratch, it enables TikTok to more easily harvest your data from various social apps and track your online activities. So you may want to steer clear of it. Even without your permission, TikTok plainly declares in its privacy policy that it may gather personal data from third-party apps. TikTok’s ability to collect your data may still be limited if you choose not to register with your social media platforms, but it will have less access to it. When signing up for the first time on TikTok, you have the option of utilizing your phone number or email instead of your social media account. However, if you choose this option, your data will still be sent to TikTok. To prevent disclosing your phone number to data brokers, continue to registering using your email address only.
Use TikTok as a Viewer
Perhaps the abundance of content on TikTok compels you to watch it every day. Thankfully, you don’t need to create an account to use the app. Additionally, this will allow you to view just as much content. With the way TikTok gathers information via browser and mobile app cookies, there doesn’t seem to be much you can do to stop it. But if you use TikTok anonymously, your data is out of TikTok’s hands. Additionally, TikTok finds it more difficult to access your social media profiles on other apps.
Disallow Cookies in Apps and Browsers
Whether or not you have an account, TikTok clearly says in its privacy policy that it collects information through browser cookies. However, cookies from mobile applications that occasionally visit the browser for particular tasks may also be kept in browsers. For instance, you can occasionally visit Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram straight from your browser. And these retail cookies, which TikTok may also tap. TikTok uses this data to monitor your network activity and share insights about you to third-party suppliers and advertisers so they may create content and adverts that are specifically suited for you to view on various websites and platforms. So, by disabling cookie storage in your browser, you can prohibit TikTok from harvesting your data.
Use Proxy Services and VPNs When Accessing TikTok
One of the things someone can do with your IP address is to track your whereabouts. Additionally, TikTok doesn’t lag behind in this regard. Whenever you start the app, TikTok utilizes your device’s IP address to detect your location whether or not you have registered. It customizes localised content for your feed in this way. However, you can trick TikTok’s algorithm into believing that you are somewhere else by using paid proxies and virtual private networks (VPNs). A VPN service alters your location, whereas proxy services assist in hiding your IP address. Therefore, for a better outcome while utilizing TikTok, you might utilize either or combine both.
Use a Private Browser for TikTok Web
When a larger screen is unavoidably required, the browser is the most likely method of accessing TikTok on a PC. However, using a browser to visit TikTok gives it better access to your cookies. So, if you’re visiting TikTok through a web browser, using private browsers like Tor and DuckDuckGo is another option to protect yourself from their data mining.
Final Words
We hope you like our article on how to stop TikTok from spying on you in iOS. The data collection algorithm used by TikTok is anything but straightforward. Whether a user creates an account and logs onto the app or not, the business intended it to aggressively collect data from users. Every time you open TikTok, it immediately begins tracking you. Although we’ve discussed techniques to stop TikTok from monitoring you, it’s important to note that completely preventing it from doing so is practically hard as long as you use the app. However, using these techniques will greatly limit the information TikTok has on you.
