TikTok Ban – Why You Should Delete Your iPhone, Android App Next Week

There’s now just a week until the increasingly likely ban on TikTok takes effect in the US, and you can expect non-stop coverage until then as 170 million US users ask what happens next. The mood music seems to have turned against TikTok’s arguments for a stay, but nothing is certain yet. What is It is certain that should the ban happen, all 170 million users should delete the app on their iPhones and Androids, with the threat of dire consequences if they don’t.

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What exactly happens when the ban starts is still unclear. What we do know is that Apple and Google will likely remove the app from the Play Store and App Store immediately. It’s the simplest and most immediate action and would prevent new users from getting hold of the app — the half of America that doesn’t already use the platform, ByteDance points out. Unlike ISP blocks in other countries that have banned TikTok and other social media apps, it is unlikely, but not impossible, that traffic will be blockedthat push users to mask their locations through VPNs, as we’ve seen with states restricting porn access.

Even if VPNs are used, they won’t help you bypass the App Store issue. As ESET’s Jake Moore says, “while a VPN may work to access the app, Apple and Google will not allow updates or new downloads from phones assigned to the US, even if a VPN is used, as it still knows its original home country, which it was set up in.”

But the good news for TikTok users and content creators is that they will likely be able to continue using the app even after the ban. But you really shouldn’t – although it may seem difficult, to be safe you should delete the app, even if legally it doesn’t seem like it will be enforced. At least not for now. And there is a clear warning that over time lack of updates will render the app unusable yet. No new updates to match new OS versions, for example.

There is also the issue of user data and where it goes after a ban. Moore warns that “when it comes to TikTok, the question that preoccupies many politicians and skeptics is where this data goes. More specifically, does all that information end up being accessed by the Chinese state? TikTok automatically captures vast amounts of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search history, so the fact that the United States does not want it in its country is not without reason.”

The danger is that removing TikTok from app stores will also prevent the update. Five new versions of the app have been released in the last month alone, which are automatically downloaded and installed on the billions of phones that run it. And while some of these updates bring new features, most are just “squash bugs for a better experience.” TikTok — as with any popular app on your phone — has had its fair share of security mishaps that trigger new updates to be pushed out. Having 170 million phones running an app that can’t be updated is a huge security risk. You can imagine how tempting a honeypot suddenly becomes for attackers, and how appreciated an exploitable TikTok vulnerability would be.

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I have previously warned that social engineering lures promising to save TikTok accounts and data will be amplified, pushing users to click on unsafe links or download malicious attachments, updates and apps. While it’s unlikely that Apple and Google will be forced to remove apps from devices, that could change if it becomes a security risk that they can’t fix. I have reached out to TikTok for further comment on the looming security threat to users in the US

It is possible that a ban will be short-lived or will not happen at all. But on the basis that it do happen, although it may be difficult, put your safety and privacy first and delete the app. “Once removed from app stores, no more security patches will be rolled out,” says ESET’s Moore. “This means that security will erode over time and vulnerabilities will inevitably be exploited, and phones with older versions of the app will be targeted en masse. It will become a direct honeypot for attackers looking to take advantage of a potentially insecure window to many phones in the US.”