Fascinated by 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 information TikTok collects about you — and the way lengthy TikTok retains your account information, 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 information similar to virtually some other social media platform, and the listing of what they acquire runs lengthy. You’ll be able to see a full listing of their privateness coverage, but right here are some things you would possibly wish to find out about. Per TikTok:
- Person-generated content material, together with feedback, pictures, dwell streams, audio recordings, movies, textual content, hashtags, and digital merchandise movies that you just select to create with or add to the Platform (“Person Content material”) and the related metadata, resembling when, the place, and by whom the content material was created. Even in case you are not a person, details about you could seem in Person Content material created or revealed by customers on the Platform.
- Messages, which embody info you present if 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 info contains the content material of the message and details about the message, resembling when it was despatched, obtained, or learn, and message individuals.
- Buy info, together with fee card numbers or different third-party fee info (resembling PayPal) the place required for the aim of fee, and billing and transport tackle. We additionally acquire info that’s required for prolonged guarantee functions and your transaction and buy historical past on or via the Platform.
- TikTok may additionally acquire or obtain details about you from organizations, companies, folks, and others, together with, for instance, publicly accessible sources, authorities authorities, skilled organizations, and charity teams.
- Advertisers, measurement, and different companions share info with us about you and the actions you’ve got taken outdoors 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 individual. These companions additionally share info with us, resembling cellular identifiers for promoting, hashed e mail addresses and cellphone numbers, and cookie identifiers, which we use to assist match you and your actions outdoors 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 information and the folks in your cellphone contacts. Moreover, it collects information on you from different sources and on any purchases you might need made via the platform.
What different information does TikTok acquire?
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 information they acquire about you routinely. Per TikTok:
- Location Information. We acquire details about your approximate location, together with location info based mostly in your SIM card and/or IP tackle. As well as, we acquire location info (resembling vacationer points of interest, retailers, or different factors of curiosity) in the event you select so as to add the placement info to your Person Content material. Present variations of the app don’t acquire exact or approximate GPS info from U.S. customers.
- Picture and Audio Data. We might acquire details about the movies, pictures, and audio which can be part of your Person 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 Person Content material.
- Metadata. Whenever you add or create Person Content material, you routinely add sure metadata that’s linked to the Person Content material. Metadata describes different information and supplies details about your Person Content material that won’t at all times be evident to the viewer. For instance, in connection along with your Person Content material, the metadata can describe how, when, the place, and by whom the piece of Person Content material was created, collected, or modified and the way that content material is formatted. It additionally contains info, resembling your account identify, which permits different customers to hint again the Person Content material to your person account.
How lengthy does TikTok preserve your information?
As for a way lengthy they preserve all that information and information they acquire, the reply is unclear. Per TikTok,
“We retain info for so long as mandatory to offer the Platform and for the opposite functions set out on this Privateness Coverage. We additionally retain info when essential to adjust to contractual and authorized obligations, when we now have a legit enterprise curiosity to take action (resembling bettering 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 mandatory” and “when mandatory.” TikTok doesn’t set a selected interval in its coverage. Actually, TikTok goes on to say that the intervals range based mostly on “totally different standards, resembling the kind of info and the needs for which we use the knowledge.”
Now, onto the steps for deleting your TikTok account.
Easy methods to 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 observe the directions to delete your account.
- Be aware that at this level you’ve got the choice to obtain your information (like your video posts), since you gained’t have entry to them when you delete your account. Ensure you obtain your information earlier than you choose Delete.
Be aware that TikTok supplies 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 information, information, and posts might be there. After these 30 days, you’ll not have entry to them.
We propose yet another step along with those above.
- Take away your information from the info 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 information with third events, there’s an opportunity your private information might need made it onto one or a number of information dealer websites. These websites purchase and promote in depth lists of private to anybody, which ranges wherever from advertisers to spammers and scammers.
If the considered your private information being purchased and offered places you off, there’s one thing you are able to do about it. Our Private Information Cleanup service can scan a number of the riskiest information dealer websites and present you which of them are promoting your private information. It additionally supplies steerage on how one can take away your information from these websites, and with choose merchandise, it might even handle the elimination 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