this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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TikTok isn't great, but it's hardly the "worst spyware".
Here is a comparison of actual spyware threats and different apps.
Here is the report itself regarding TEMU and how it actually IS spyware.
I think in this particular case the problem isn't so much the spyware side of things as the content of the videos, and the trends which makes videos popular on tiktok, which aren't conducive to the promotion of factual content at all.
I was replying to the claim of "voluntarily installing some of the worst spyware".
I feel like, and I really wouldn't know to be honest, you could maybe make the argument with a bit of a redefinition of worst.
Tiktok might not be objectively worse in terms of data collection and such, but does it's vast popularity counter balance that to some degree? My general impression is that tiktok is ridiculously popular and installed on many, many devices. However I also have no idea if/how much worse it is than other social media apps, that potentially have a similar install count. I've heard it's pretty bad, but couldn't tell you myself.
TikTok does a few things that are on the more malicious side. Obfuscating code is a sign that they don't want people reading into what the app actually does.
It is popular, but so is TEMU. And eBay.
I don't use TikTok often, and it is not allowed to run in the background. I will never install TEMU.