Research on underground forums found that cybercriminals made careers selling network access for up to five figures instead of exploiting the networks themselves.
In October 2022, TikTok quietly introduced a new emotion tracking feature for advertisers on its platform. Called "Focus Tracking," it promises to only put ads in front of users that it determines are "emotionally engaged".
The European Commission and the European Council, the two largest policy bodies in the EU, are the latest government entities to implement a TikTok ban for staff. This includes work devices and also personal devices enrolled in the body's mobile device service.
Legislation that would institute a TikTok ban on government devices has cleared the first major hurdle in Congress, passing the Senate with unanimous consent. The "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" was authored by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) but had strong bipartisan support.
The White House has ordered federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices within 30 days. The TikTok ban includes any app made by parent company Bytedance, and extends to government contractors to be implemented over a longer period of time.
The Australia TikTok ban follows the same concerns that have prompted actions by its allies; fears that sensitive personal or classified information will find its way from government devices to ByteDance servers in China.
A UK privacy lawsuit that could involve millions of minors alleges that TikTok violated child privacy laws in its collection of personal information and in transferring it to third parties.
A recent leak of audio meetings in which TikTok staff appear to admit to previously undisclosed data practices has some members of Congress calling for an FTC investigation.
TikTok made the privacy policy announcement last month, and had scheduled the switch for July 13. The video sharing platform claimed a "legitimate interests" exception to obtaining consent for personalized ads.
UK ICO has reached a provisional finding that TikTok failed to protect children's privacy from 2018 to 2020. If this finding holds up, TikTok could be on the hook for a £27 million fine.
