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Get these Communist China apps off your phone
I mentioned last week app maker ByteDance was starting to get banned on some government devices, and you guys and gals hit me with a ton of questions.
Let’s start by taking a step back. ByteDance is the Communist China parent company of TikTok, among other apps. After the U.S. signed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” into law in December 2022, ByteDance quickly moved to push and release even more new apps. Sneaky move, for sure.
I’m surprised it took this long
TikTok is already banned at the federal level, but the latest ban in the U.S. House of Representatives includes a handful of other ByteDance apps you or someone in your life might be using:
- CapCut: Video-editing tools and filters
- Hypic: Photo-editing tools and filters
- Lark: Collaboration app designed for work
- Lemon8: Social media app focused on fashion, beauty, travel, food and other lifestyle categories
Let’s dive deeper into what they collect
If you think the ByteDance paranoia is overblown, here’s the laundry list of data you give up every time you scroll TikTok. It’s safe to assume other ByteDance-developed apps do the same.
It’s a long list, so slow down while you read it. Remember, all this is being sent to China:
- Your name, age, username, email address, password, phone number and location.
- Your IP address, cellphone carrier, time zone, device model and operating system.
- Biometric identifiers, like facial IDs and voiceprints.
- The content of your messages, plus exactly when you send, receive and read them.
- If you buy stuff via TikTop Shop, you’ll give up your purchase information, including credit card numbers and billing and shipping addresses.
- Your activities on other websites and apps (or in stores), including info about what you purchased.
- File names and types.
- Your keystroke patterns and rhythms.
- Objects and scenery that show up in your videos, including tourist attractions, shops and other landmarks.
- The webpages you visit the most and how you interact with them.
- Any text, images and videos on your clipboard.
- Information about your videos, images and audio files.
TikTok also embeds data into its images and ads to track the time and date you view a page, complete with a description. The amount of data TikTok collects is so extensive that it can come dangerously close to cloning your entire phone.
Where TikTok stores its data has also been a major red flag for Congress. Information collected in the U.S. is connected straight to servers in China, though the company says it’s changed its systems to store American data in the U.S. Yeah, right. That won’t stop China from getting it — who are they kidding?
Do this now
It’s up to you, of course, what apps to keep on your phone. You may feel comfortable limiting your permissions, but I don’t think that’s enough.
Delete apps from your Android phone:
- Long-press an app, then tap App Info > Uninstall.
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications to see a list of your apps and delete them the same way, or open the Google Play Store app and navigate to Menu > My apps & games. Tap on the app and hit Uninstall. NOTE: Samsung and OnePlus phones have an Uninstall option under the app shortcuts menu.
Delete apps from your iPhone:
- Touch and hold an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.
- You can also use the App Library for a curated list of your apps, grouped by category. Swipe past the last page of your home screen to access it. Tap and hold the app, then select Delete App > Delete.
‘But Kim, I love TikTok …’
… Or some other app on the list above. There is a safe-ish way to still use the app. Here’s how to install TikTok on an old device, aka one no longer connected to your email, banking info or anything else.
🤔 Ask yourself what else you could be doing with your time other than scrolling through TikTok or using ByteDance apps. I bet there’s some organization near you that could use volunteers like you, just sayin’.
Don’t get left behind – Stay tech ahead
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Tags: Android, Apple iPhone, apps, devices, Google, operating systems
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