Data privacy has been a hot-button topic for social media over the past few years. Even before 2023’s TikTok trial and 2024’s TikTok ban, users have been cautious about their data and what companies do with it. Now, halfway through 2024, it’s something on all of our minds. In today’s article, we’re answering some of your top questions about data privacy in 2024.
What is Data Privacy? 🔐
In social media, data privacy refers to the measures and practices in place to ensure user’s personal information is collected, stored, accessed, and (maybe) shared in a way that protects their privacy and complies with legal or ethical standards. Every country has its own data privacy standards. Each platform has a data privacy policy outlining how they will collect, store, share, and transfer user data.
Why Does it Matter? 🤷
Depending on your activity, apps can gather some pretty confidential data. You may give them this data (phone numbers, addresses, etc) but it’s not stuff you’d want pinned on a notice board in a coffee shop. Some platforms will sell data to advertisers and companies so they can loop them into their marketing. Like those constant credit card offers you get in the mail.
Other platforms don’t properly protect their data, leading to leaks. People can hack into the systems and steal user data, using it for their own purposes or selling it for themselves. We can hear the keywords running through your head: stolen identity, black market, and drained bank accounts.
Is It Only Social Media? 📱
No, any platform or app you use can store, access, and potentially share your data. There are some that, by the nature of their products, have to be more secure. This is usually bank or credit card sites, government websites, and even your school websites or intranet. Still, it’s good to take precautions no matter the platform.
What’s TikTok’s Problem? 🎶
TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance, a China-based company. The main concern about TikTok is surveillance by the Chinese government under national security laws. Essentially, the concern was that TikTok employees would be required to share user data if asked by government officials. These concerns led the US to investigate TikTok. ByteDance now has to divest and sell TikTok.
The hope is that the app will be sold to a company or investor based in the US or a country with similar data privacy policies. Apps like Clapper, which are based in and store data in the US, have strict rules for how they can collect, store, and share user data. These platforms must adhere to rigid guidelines for both operation and storage.
What Data Do They Collect? 💾
Platforms collect a wide range of data from users. This includes personal information like your name, contact information, age, gender, location, and even addresses. Usually, this is information you provide the platform, but it’s still private. Platforms can also gather behavioral data, like how long you’re on the platform and the content you like. Apps also gather crash data and error reports to improve their function.
But, as we said, this applies to more than just social media apps you scroll through. Apps with shopping functions can store transitional data and history, like payment methods, usually anonymized even in the backend. They can also gather location data or IP addresses. On their own, these aren’t worrisome. It allows them to recommend products you’d like, give you suggestions based on your location, or make your checkout process seamless. Still, it’s data they store.
So, What’s the Concern? 🤔
The main worry is that platforms or apps will share data with a third party. There are some occasions for apps to share data that aren’t worrisome. Most of these uses are internal, the data is anonymized or surface-level, and the data is used only to improve user experience and keep the app functioning.
Why Would They Share My Data? 📤
There are a few reasons why a platform might share its users’ data, depending on their business model. There are also levels to accessing data. Your name, phone number, and email are technically personal data and must be accessed whenever you log in. Other platforms with targeted ads will access user data to deliver ads they might be more interested in. They may also share anonymized data for case studies or market research.
Wait, Don’t They Sell Data? 💸
Yes! Some apps will sell anonymized or aggregated user data to third parties for market research or other purposes. Platforms usually profit from this and may exchange user data for services, technology, or actual money. How much data they share depends on them, and what happens to the data depends on who they sell it to.
Does Clapper Protect My Data? ⚔️
Data privacy is one of our top concerns. All of our data is stored in the US, and we must comply with any laws and regulations set by the US. We also have to comply with any rules that Apple and Google have for apps on their app stores. Internally, we have strict access controls; only select team members are allowed to access a fraction of user data. We also use VPNs to further protect user data.
Additionally, we only take the necessary data to ensure the app runs and that we can protect our users. We do not sell or share our user data with outside sources.
Can I Protect My Data? 😱
Of course! Some easy ones begin off the app. One of the best ways is to use strong passwords and use a variety of them. It might be time to retire the name of that childhood pet and start finding new passwords. Avoid accessing personal or private websites on public computers or wifi. You can also enable a two-factor authentication for your accounts.
When it comes to apps, one of the best ways to protect yourself is by reading the privacy policy. You can find it in the app itself, or somewhere on their website; they have to display it and make it fairly easy to find. In your settings, you can also review the permissions and adjust personal privacy settings. Disable any that are not necessary for functionality, or that you simply don’t want on. You can also research the platform or read reviews to see what other users have to say about it.
One of the most common fixes is a VPN service. While it won’t solve all your problems, it encrypts your data and makes it harder for people to access.
Let us know if we missed any of your data privacy questions! At Clapper, we value transparency and want to empower creators to learn all they can about social media. After the TikTok ban, we know this is a topic at the forefront of a lot of creators’ minds.