Is TikTok Really Banned and Does It Track Your Keystrokes?
What's the latest about the US TikTok ban? Is it true that TikTok is tracking its users' keystrokes? Find out the answers to these questions, then check out a great free alternative for direct messaging that protects your privacy.
Is TikTok really broken? Gone for good?
TikTok Shuts Down...
Last year, Congress passed a law that gave the company a deadline of Jan. 19, 2025, to sell its stake in the app or be cut off from the U.S. market.
On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the ban, ruling that it did not violate the First Amendment, sinking TikTok's last-ditch legal challenge.
Some 170 million Americans who use TikTok held their collective breath as the gap was set to shut down its service on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
According to NBC News, users who opened the app after 10 PM Eastern on Saturday began to see a message reading:
"Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"
Wait...It's Back! (But for how long?)
Early on Sunday, President Donald Trump announced he would issue an executive order following his inauguration on Monday that would delay enforcement of the divest-or-ban law, CNN reported.
Within hours of the announcement, US residents' access to TikTok's app and webpage began as the company restored service.
"I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security," President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."
Previously, Trump said he was considering a 90-day extension on the ban that would give him time to work out a deal in which he would seek a 50-50 joint venture between TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, and a new American owner. This would effectively make TikTok not fully Chinese-owned.
Privacy Concerns: Is TikTok Tracking its User's Keystrokes? Maybe.
The main area of concern that led to the ban of TikTok in the United States is that the company is ultimately under the control of the Chinese government and might be used as a vehicle for espionage.
Widespread claims have arisen that the social media app TikTok can monitor keystrokes or taps made by a user.
Fact-checking website Snopes investigated these claims and found that, according to parent company ByteDance's privacy policy, it states that "keystroke patterns or rhythms" are "automatically collected information," which users cannot opt out from providing.
However, according to TikTok, collecting "keystroke patterns or rhythms" is "fundamentally" different from collecting the precise content of what a user types. The company claims collecting "keystroke patterns or rhythms" refers to the timing of when keys are pressed, not the specific keys pressed.
Many users fear that TikTok can track your keyboard activity when you go to other sites using its in-app browser. In fact, under the claim of "increased security," TikTok does not allow users to use an external browser.
Technically, if you are using their in-app browser, they can read everything you do online, according to Snopes.
Therefore, if you're inside TikTok and logging into other sensitive sites, say your banking app to make a purchase, that in-app browser can be reading your highly sensitive information.
Nonetheless, a TikTok spokesperson refuted a New York Times article on the subject, calling it "incorrect and misleading." The spokesperson added, "Contrary to the report's claims, we do not collect keystroke or text inputs through this code."
At the end of the day, how much information about a user and their activities TikTok collects remains unclear. As a result, the level of privacy and overall exposure a user has on the platform remains in question.
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