Fascinated about deleting your TikTok account? We are able to present you the way.
Earlier than we get to that, you is perhaps to search out what sort of knowledge TikTok collects about you — and the way lengthy TikTok retains your account knowledge, even after you delete it.
What does TikTok find out about you?
For that, we flip to TikTok’s privateness coverage web page.[i] TikTok collects knowledge similar to virtually some other social media platform, and the listing of what they accumulate runs lengthy. You may see a full listing of their privateness coverage, but right here are some things you would possibly wish to find out about. Per TikTok:
- Consumer-generated content material, together with feedback, images, reside streams, audio recordings, movies, textual content, hashtags, and digital merchandise movies that you simply select to create with or add to the Platform (“Consumer Content material”) and the related metadata, resembling when, the place, and by whom the content material was created. Even if you’re not a person, details about chances are you’ll seem in Consumer Content material created or revealed by customers on the Platform.
- Messages, which embody data you present whenever you compose, ship, or obtain messages via the Platform’s messaging functionalities. They embody messages you ship via our chat performance when speaking with sellers who promote items to you, and your use of digital assistants when buying gadgets via the Platform. That data consists of the content material of the message and details about the message, resembling when it was despatched, acquired, or learn, and message members.
- Buy data, together with fee card numbers or different third-party fee data (resembling PayPal) the place required for the aim of fee, and billing and delivery deal with. We additionally accumulate data that’s required for prolonged guarantee functions and your transaction and buy historical past on or via the Platform.
- TikTok can also accumulate or obtain details about you from organizations, companies, individuals, and others, together with, for instance, publicly obtainable sources, authorities authorities, skilled organizations, and charity teams.
- Advertisers, measurement, and different companions share data with us about you and the actions you might have taken exterior of the Platform, resembling your actions on different web sites and apps or in shops, together with the services or products you bought, on-line or in particular person. These companions additionally share data with us, resembling cellular identifiers for promoting, hashed electronic mail addresses and telephone numbers, and cookie identifiers, which we use to assist match you and your actions exterior of the Platform along with your TikTok account.
So, TikTok is aware of the content material you create, the content material you seem in, and the messages you ship (and the precise contents of these messages) — and probably fee data and the individuals in your telephone contacts. Moreover, it collects data on you from different sources and on any purchases you may need made via the platform.
What different knowledge does TikTok accumulate?
The listing continues. As soon as once more, you’ll be able to go to their privateness coverage web page for extra particulars, but right here’s a partial rundown of different knowledge they accumulate about you routinely. Per TikTok:
- Location Knowledge. We accumulate details about your approximate location, together with location data primarily based in your SIM card and/or IP deal with. As well as, we accumulate location data (resembling vacationer points of interest, retailers, or different factors of curiosity) in the event you select so as to add the placement data to your Consumer Content material. Present variations of the app don’t accumulate exact or approximate GPS data from U.S. customers.
- Picture and Audio Data. We might accumulate details about the movies, pictures, and audio which can be part of your Consumer Content material, resembling figuring out the objects and surroundings that seem, the existence and placement inside a picture of face and physique options and attributes, the character of the audio, and the textual content of the phrases spoken in your Consumer Content material.
- Metadata. Whenever you add or create Consumer Content material, you routinely add sure metadata that’s linked to the Consumer Content material. Metadata describes different knowledge and gives details about your Consumer Content material that won’t at all times be evident to the viewer. For instance, in connection along with your Consumer Content material, the metadata can describe how, when, the place, and by whom the piece of Consumer Content material was created, collected, or modified and the way that content material is formatted. It additionally consists of data, resembling your account identify, which allows different customers to hint again the Consumer Content material to your person account.
How lengthy does TikTok maintain your knowledge?
As for a way lengthy they maintain all that knowledge and data they accumulate, the reply is unclear. Per TikTok,
“We retain data for so long as vital to supply the Platform and for the opposite functions set out on this Privateness Coverage. We additionally retain data when essential to adjust to contractual and authorized obligations, when we have now a authentic enterprise curiosity to take action (resembling enhancing and growing the Platform and enhancing its security, safety, and stability), and for the train or protection of authorized claims.” [ii]
The important thing phrases listed here are “so long as vital” and “when vital.” TikTok doesn’t set a selected interval in its coverage. Actually, TikTok goes on to say that the durations range primarily based on “completely different standards, resembling the kind of data and the needs for which we use the knowledge.”
Now, onto the steps for deleting your TikTok account.
How one can delete your TikTok account
- Within the TikTok app, faucet Profile at the underside.
- Faucet the Menu ☰ button on the high.
- Faucet Settings and Privateness.
- Faucet Account, then faucet Deactivate or delete account, and comply with the directions to delete your account.
- Notice that at this level you might have the choice to obtain your knowledge (like your video posts), since you gained’t have entry to them when you delete your account. Ensure you obtain your knowledge earlier than you choose Delete.
Notice that TikTok gives a 30-day grace interval when you delete your account. If you wish to hop again onto the platform, you’ll be able to merely reactivate your account throughout that interval. All of your data, knowledge, and posts might be there. After these 30 days, you’ll not have entry to them.
We advise another step along with those above.
- Take away your data from the information dealer websites that promote it.
Right here’s why you would possibly wish to try this … Given the way in which social media corporations share data with third events, there’s an opportunity your private data may need made it onto one or a number of knowledge dealer websites. These websites purchase and promote intensive lists of private to anybody, which ranges wherever from advertisers to spammers and scammers.
If the considered your private data being purchased and offered places you off, there’s one thing you are able to do about it. Our Private Knowledge Cleanup service can scan a number of the riskiest knowledge dealer websites and present you which of them are promoting your private data. It additionally gives steerage on how one can take away your knowledge from these websites, and with choose merchandise, it might even handle the removing for you.
[i] https://www.tiktok.com/authorized/web page/row/privacy-policy/en
[ii] https://www.tiktok.com/authorized/web page/row/privacy-policy/en
