This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
June 29, 2020, marked another day of scrutiny for TikTok, as a report by The Telegraph revealed the app was still accessing clipboard content on iOS devices.
According to the report, TikTok had previously stated it would stop accessing clipboard content in March, but failed to do so within the promised timeframe.
When a third-party app accesses a device's clipboard with iOS 14, a notification pops up. Users discovered that TikTok was eyeing content from the clipboard, even when the apps were running in the background.
However, TikTok is not the only app to have been caught snooping on users in this way. Other apps, including AccuWeather, Overstock, AliExpress, Mobile Call of Duty, Patreon, and Google News, have also been found violating users' privacy.
TikTok has faced intense scrutiny from government agencies worldwide due to its parent company Bytedance's close connection with the Chinese Communist Party.
As a result, the Federal Trade Commission fined TikTok $5.7 million in 2019 for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC found that TikTok allowed children under 13 to sign up on the platform, violating parental control.
