How to Delete a TikTok Account last updated: July 2022
Since its worldwide launch in 2018, TikTok has experienced exponential growth. Currently, the app boasts more than one billion users across the globe. The trendy social media platform allows individuals to create and share short videos 15 to 60 seconds in length. These videos often incorporate various filters and feature users lip-syncing and dancing to popular songs.
Like other social media sites, TikTok includes a video feed consisting of recommended videos based on users’ previous activity on the app. This may include their likes, past interactions, and searches. Users can also follow other users and send direct messages, emojis, and videos to friends on the app.
About TikTok
TikTok is owned and operated by Chinese entertainment company ByteDance, which has raised concerns about data privacy for app users. While app settings can be configured to limit who can see a users’ videos, there’s nothing users can do to prevent the app’s developers—and potential third-party interlopers—from accessing their personal information.
The company’s privacy policy states that it collects usage information, IP addresses, unique device identifiers, biometric data, keystroke patterns and location data, as well as other user information.
In January 2020, researchers identified a security flaw in the app that made it possible for hackers to infiltrate user accounts using SMS. This led Reddit CEO Steve Huffman to refer to the app as “spyware.”
Large corporations like Wells Fargo have banned the app from their devices due to these unaddressed security vulnerabilities. Also, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined TikTok parent company ByteDance $5.7 million in 2019 for collecting information from minors under the age of 13. This represented a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Similar government investigations into the company’s data privacy practices have been initiated in the United Kingdom, Italy and Ireland as well.
How To Delete A TikTok Account
If online security is a source of concern for you—or you simply want to reduce the amount of time you spend mindlessly scrolling through the app’s admittedly addictive content—it may be time to delete your TikTok account and leave the platform altogether.
It’s important to note that deleting your TikTok account is a permanent action that cannot be reversed. This means you’ll lose access to your past video uploads, watch history, direct messages, followers, and likes.
- Log into the app and go to the Profile tab in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the three-dot icon to go to Settings, then tap Manage My Account.
- Scroll down and select Delete Account.
- Follow the instructions to finalize deletion. This may involve verifying your email address if your TikTok account is connected to your Google account. Once you confirm your choice, your account will be deleted.
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