Keyboards used in popular apps like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are capable of using JavaScript to get credit card data, addresses, passwords, etc., without the user’s permission on iOS.
According to PhoneArena, a report issued by Felix Krause, the developer of a website called InAppBrowser.com, says that TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger apps can track user keystrokes if they use it. use the keyboard in their application. Notably, in this list of apps, only TikTok does not allow users to use the default QWERTY keyboard to type.
Shortly after the report came out, TikTok took to its Twitter account to send out a tweet that read, “The conclusion of the report about TikTok is incorrect and misleading. Contrary to our claims, we do not collect keystrokes or text input through this code, but are only used for debugging, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring.”
In June 2022, US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Brendan Carr said TikTok should be removed from the App Store and Google Play Store because it is a “sophisticated surveillance tool that collects vast amounts of personal and data.” sensitive data”, citing new reports revealing sensitive data that have been sent to the Chinese government.
Krause says TikTok “records every keystroke that occurs on third-party websites displayed inside the TikTok app. While injected scripts don’t currently do this, running custom scripts on third-party websites allows them to monitor all user interactions, like every button and link pressed. , text selection, screenshots, and any form inputs, such as passwords, addresses, and credit card numbers.”
It is known that former US President Donald Trump wanted to ban TikTok because of national security concerns. He then tried to broker the sale of TikTok’s US operations to interested US companies, including Oracle, Walmart, and even Microsoft. Even so, Mr. Trump’s demands were later determined to be illegal and no deal was made.