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According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, TikTok bypassed a defense mechanism in Google's Android operating system that allowed the app to collect unique identifiers on millions of mobile devices. That information allowed the app, which is owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance, to track users' online activity without giving them the ability to opt out of the surveillance.The practice, which testing done by the news outlet shows was ended last November, appears to be in violation of Google's policies pertaining to how apps track users, and was not disclosed to users. The unique identifiers TikTok collected are called MAC addresses. Although they often are used for online advertising, the addresses could be used to create detailed personal profiles that the Chinese government could then leverage as blackmail, some believe. Lawmakers also fear that the app's significant tracking abilities could be used to discover the locations of secret government facilities.
