TikTok’s huge popularity in North America in particular has put it under increased scrutiny especially following the attempt from the Trump Administration to ban the app in the U.S. due to alleged national security concerns. Despite TikTok’s popularity and prominent public discussions surrounding its security and privacy, neither TikTok nor Douyin have been thoroughly studied. The popularity and attention TikTok has gained poses key questions: Did ByteDance adapt its social media platform to the international market in alignment with industry norms? Or did it implement or retain some features that are required in the Chinese market that may present undesirable security and privacy risks to non-mainland China users?
These are complex questions that need to consider technical aspects and platform policies and practices. This new CitizenLab report focuses on the technical characteristics of TikTok and Douyin through analysis of the source codes of TikTok and Douyin’s Android apps. The results of this analysis inform our understanding of how ByteDance develops the two apps for their respective markets.
