TikTok a threat to New Zealand businesses, expert warns – Stuff

The privacy issues behind social media site TikTok present a threat to New Zealand people, businesses, and potentially the democratic process, a cybersecurity expert has warned.

Adam Boileau security expert from CyberCX, said while all social media platforms came with privacy risks, TikToks potential link to the Chinese Communist Party made it a particular concern for data experts.

At least Facebook is beholden to its host government in the USA and can be regulated and controlled. With TikTok we have no recourse against it because it is based in China. It can show users what ever it wants to and our Government can do nothing, Boileau said.

It is estimated TikTok has 1.4 million users in New Zealand. When users download the app they give it access to troves of information, including phone and location data, contacts and messages, internet browser search history and keystroke patterns.

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This data is stored by TikTok owner ByteDance. While ByteDance is a privately owned company, data stored in mainland China and held by Chinese companies can legally be accessed by the Chinese Government.

On Wednesday, US Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, called on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores over concerns of China accessing user data.

Carr called the app an unacceptable national security risk.

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Adam Boileau, cybersecurity expert, says Tik Toks strong links to the Chinese Communist Party made it a particular concern for data experts.

He said the app gave the CCP unfettered access to sensitive US user data and called on Google to remove the app from its app store.

Boileau said he wanted the New Zealand Government take a similar stance against the app.

When we were rolling out our 5G mobile networks, the Government was very against using Chinese equipment particularly Huawei, because of concerns the Chinese Government could access our communications.

TikTok gives the Chinese Government similar access directly into peoples brains. Because it serves content that can guide and inflame political beliefs, it would be a great platform to influence a future election, he said.

He pointed to TikTok being used to silence opposition to the Chinese Governments treatment of Uyghur Muslims, as evidence the app was anything but apolitical.

If you have this amount of information about people, combined with the ability to get content in front of billions of eyeballs then you have a powerful tool to manipulate. TikTok is ripe to be used nefariously.

But marketing strategist Rachel Klaver said the TikTok algorithm was too beneficial to ignore even if it came with serious privacy concerns.

There are definitely two sides to it. Yes if the algorithm is so fantastic there probably is some insidious thing in there that isnt great, but it also has a tremendous capacity to get your brand in front of customers, Klaver said.

Klaver experienced this first-hand when she posted a video promoting her business and within 48 hours the video had over 50,000 views.

Getting that kind of outreach so quickly is almost impossible on any other platform, she said.

She acknowledged that privacy concerns about the app were valid, but said business owners would have to decide for themselves whether to engage with it.

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TikTok a threat to New Zealand businesses, expert warns - Stuff