An app that comes directly from and is controlled from within China has raised a great deal of red flags (sorry for the pun) in the Security Industry recently.
TikTok constantly streams short video clips to the users. This is bad people. There were studies done years ago about short attention spans based upon information overload, subliminal messages (that are only a few seconds long or shorter) and various other unconscious brain overloading media. If you or your children have TikTok loaded on their devices, remove it! It's potentially dangerous to minds.
One article from the Washington Post states that " The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States... is investigating the 2017 deal in which Beijing-based ByteDance bought the popular karaoke app Musical.ly for up to 1 billion..." The concern is based upon ".. be used as a tool by the Chinese Communist party to extend its authoritarian censorship of information outside China's borders and amass data on millions of unsuspecting users....". Security researchers have shown that this is a large concern and is actually happening.
The app is listening in all the time on your conversations, sending your contacts and information back to China and monitoring everything you do on your cell phone. This would include banking, chats, videos, searches, etc. What is worse, is that the short videos may contain subliminal messages or have mind altering effects. Yeah, I know this sounds crazy, but there are quite a few studies on this subject!
In another article by FCW (The Business of Federal Technology), they state that "... I was frightened to watch this stuff. TikTok users receive a constant stream of new videos, with new stimulation, every 15 seconds. Going at a rapid pace from one micro-length video to another shortens attention spans.... short attention spans with concomitant weakened ability to concentrate, can in turn produce a number of negative effects, such as poor performance at work or school, inability to complete daily tasks, missing important details of information and difficulties communicating in relationships."
Here are a few links to other articles concerning Subliminal Messages and the dangers of short brain stimulation:
Side Effects of Subliminal Messages
Can Subliminal Messaging Be Dangerous?
The bottom line is that the use of these types of media can influence their users in drastic ways. Just think, everyone has been complaining about Russian Collusion, when the Chinese are doing it directly!
Are you a TikTok user in control of yourself ?
Stay safe people!