A software researcher recently claimed that China-owned TikTok’s in-app browser is capable of monitoring and recording user keystrokes, which the company has since confirmed. However, TikTok insists the app’s code is not used to monitor and record users. “debugging,”But this could just be another lie by the company, which is well-known for fabricating lies.
Forbes reports that TikTok has confirmed that it has the ability to monitor the activity of users when browsing the web via the platform’s in-app browser. TikTok can monitor the keystrokes that users type and what they click on a web page inside the in-app browser, meaning TikTok could capture a user’s credit card information or passwords.
The issue was first noticed by Felix Krause, a software researcher based in Vienna, who published a report on the issue this week. “This was an active choice the company made,” Krause said. “This is a non-trivial engineering task. This does not happen by mistake or randomly.”
Fastlane is an app testing company and deploying firm founded by Krause. This company was purchased five years earlier by Google. When reached for comment, TikTok vehemently denied tracking users’ activity on the in-app browser, but did confirm that those features do exist in the code.
Krause noted via Twitter that TikTok’s statement confirms his findings:
Wow! What an honor to have my work on such a great site @forbes
Including statements by TikTok confirming the code I found exists and does what I expected.https://t.co/1p8hOwQBWN via @richardjnieva pic.twitter.com/13M78cHEEy
— Felix Krause (@KrauseFx) August 18, 2022
“Like other platforms, we use an in-app browser to provide an optimal user experience, but the Javascript code in question is used only for debugging, troubleshooting and performance monitoring of that experience — like checking how quickly a page loads or whether it crashes,”Maureen Shanahan (TikTok spokesperson) stated in a statement.
TikTok claims the JavaScript script code is part third-party software developer kit (SDK), that includes features that the application does not need. TikTok did not reveal details on the SDK, nor what third-party made it.
TikTok admitted in recent months that its employees can gain access to the personal data of American users, even children. The previous company denied access to China.
Breitbart News reported:
Bloomberg reported that TikTok, a Chinese-owned video sharing app, has admitted that employees located in China had access to personal data of American users. The company’s admission came in a letter to nine U.S. senators who accused TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., of monitoring U.S. citizens.
The senators asked TikTok whether China-based employees have access to U.S. users’ data, what role those employees play in developing TikTok’s algorithm, and if any of that information was shared with the Chinese government.
In a June 30, 30 letter, ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew stated that employees based in China can gain access to certain data on U.S. TikTok users, including comments and public videos. Chew claimed that the information was not shared with China’s government. “robust cybersecurity controls.”
Continue reading at Forbes here.
Breitbart News reporter Lucas Nolan covers issues related to free speech, online censorship and other topics. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan
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