Account information, content and usage may be visible to other users and the public depending on your privacy settings
Depending on your privacy settings, your information, including certain account information, user content and usage information, may be visible to other users and the public. If you have a public account and have not restricted individual posts, anyone can view or share your account information and user content, whether or not they have a TikTok account, and it may also appear on search engines, content aggregators and news sites. The policy also notes that content you publish about sensitive topics may be visible to others depending on your privacy settings.
Supporting quotations
Based on your privacy settings, your information, including certain of your account information, user content, and usage information, may be visible to other users and the public. For example, if you have a public account and have not restricted the visibility of your posts individually, your account information and user content can be viewed or shared by anyone, whether or not they have a TikTok account
and may also appear on search engines, content aggregators, and news sites.
if you choose to publish user content about these topics, please keep in mind that such content may be visible to other users and the public, depending on your privacy settings.
Qualifications & exceptions
Visibility depends on your privacy settings; the example is a public account with posts not individually restricted.
Not stated here
The linked privacy-settings help page is not supplied here, so this card cannot say which settings exist or how they limit the audience.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Certain information may be shared with qualifying independent researchers
TikTok may share certain of your information with qualifying researchers to facilitate independent research.
Supporting quotations
We may share certain of your information with qualifying researchers to facilitate independent research.
Not stated here
The text does not say which information is shared, what makes a researcher "qualifying", or whether any de-identification applies.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Information may be shared at your direction or with your consent, such as email addresses to sellers for marketing
TikTok may share your information for other purposes pursuant to your consent or at your direction. For example, it may facilitate sellers sending you marketing communications by sharing your email address.
Supporting quotations
We may share your information for other purposes pursuant to your consent or at your direction. For example, we may facilitate the sending of marketing communications to you by sellers, such as by sharing your email address.
Qualifications & exceptions
Stated as tied to your consent or direction; the seller marketing example is illustrative.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Information may be transmitted outside the United States to the recipients described, subject to Executive Order 14352
Subject to applicable laws, including Executive Order 14352 and any compliance obligations under it, TikTok may transmit your information outside the United States for purposes of sharing with the recipients described in the policy.
Supporting quotations
Subject to applicable laws, including Executive Order 14352 and any compliance obligations thereunder, we may transmit your information outside of the United States, for purposes of sharing with recipients as described in this Privacy Policy.
Qualifications & exceptions
The transfer is stated as subject to applicable laws, including Executive Order 14352.
Not stated here
The text of Executive Order 14352 is not supplied here, and the passage does not name the countries or recipients involved.
California residents may request once a year what was shared with other businesses for their direct marketing
If you are a California resident, once a calendar year you may be entitled to obtain information about personal information TikTok shared, if any, with other businesses for their own direct marketing uses. You submit the request through a privacy webform.
Supporting quotations
If you are a California resident, once a calendar year, you may be entitled to obtain information about personal information that we shared, if any, with other businesses for their own direct marketing uses. To submit a request, contact us at: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/privacy.
Qualifications & exceptions
Limited to California residents, once per calendar year, and phrased as "may be entitled".
Not stated here
The linked report webform is not supplied here, so this card cannot say what the form asks for or how requests are handled beyond what this policy states.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company commitment
TikTok says it does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context ads where law restricts it
TikTok says it does not sell your personal information or share it with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising "where restricted by applicable law", and then explains when and with whom it may share collected information for the purposes described below.
Supporting quotations
We are committed to maintaining your trust, and while we do not sell your personal information or share your personal information with third parties for purposes of cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by applicable law
we want you to understand when and with whom we may share the Information We Collect for the purposes described below.
Qualifications & exceptions
The qualifier "where restricted by applicable law" is part of the statement. The text does not say what applies where the law does not restrict sale or cross-context behavioral advertising sharing.
Cross-references
contrast (model-proposed): Advertising, marketing and analytics partners may receive certain collected information to provide their services — contrast: One card says TikTok does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by applicable law; the other says advertising, marketing and analytics partners may receive information to provide their services. The text does not say how the two fit together or where the legal restriction applies; this is recorded as a reviewed tension, not a finding.
Sharing & Disclosure · Context
Information given to certain third parties may be processed under their own privacy policies
TikTok notes that information disclosed to certain third parties may be processed in accordance with those third parties' privacy policies.
Supporting quotations
Please note that information disclosed to certain third parties may be processed in accordance with their privacy policies.
Not stated here
The third parties' own privacy policies are not supplied, so what they do with the information is not described here.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Information is shared with service providers and business partners for operations and business purposes
TikTok shares collected information with service providers and business partners as necessary to help it perform business operations and for business purposes, including research, payment processing and transaction fulfillment, contests and special offers, technology services, deliveries, communications, advertising and marketing, analytics and measurement, data storage and hosting, disaster recovery, and search engine optimization. The examples that follow are illustrative.
Supporting quotations
We share Information We Collect with service providers and business partners as necessary to help us perform business operations and for business purposes, including research, payment processing and transaction fulfillment, administering contests and special offers, technology services, deliveries, sending communications, advertising and marketing services, analytics, measurement, data storage and hosting, disaster recovery, and search engine optimization. Examples of such service providers and business partners include:
Qualifications & exceptions
The purposes are listed with "including" and the recipients with "Examples ... include", so neither list is stated as complete.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Specific categories of information go to TT Commerce & Global Services LLC consistent with Executive Order 14352
TikTok lists TT Commerce & Global Services LLC and its affiliates as a business partner, to facilitate a global and interoperable experience and for other permitted business purposes. It says it only shares specific categories of information, consistent with applicable law including Executive Order 14352 and any compliance obligations under it.
Supporting quotations
TT Commerce & Global Services LLC and its affiliates (“TT Commerce & Global Services”), to facilitate a global and interoperable experience, and for other permitted business purposes. We only share specific categories of information consistent with applicable law, including Executive Order 14352 and any compliance obligations thereunder.
Not stated here
The categories of information shared with TT Commerce & Global Services are not named, and the text of Executive Order 14352 is not supplied here, so what it requires is not described.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Payment processors, including PayPal and Stripe, may receive provided, automatic and third-party information
Payment processors and transaction fulfillment providers may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources. The policy names PayPal and Stripe in particular as third-party payment providers or processors.
They receive "certain" information, not stated to be all of it.
Not stated here
The PayPal and Stripe privacy policies linked here are not supplied, so what those providers do with the information is not described.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Customer and technical support providers may receive certain collected information
Customer and technical support providers may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Advertising, marketing and analytics partners may receive certain collected information to provide their services
Advertising, marketing and analytics partners may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources for the purpose of providing their services.
The text does not say which categories within these groups go to advertising and analytics partners.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Creators, advertisers and sellers receive aggregated statistics and audience insights
Users of TikTok's analytics services, such as creators, advertisers and sellers, may receive aggregated statistics and insights, for example counts of views, likes, comments and shares of their content and information to understand their followers, buyers and audience. TikTok may build this aggregate information from Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information.
Supporting quotations
Users of our analytics services, who may receive aggregated statistics and insights to understand user engagement. For example, creators, advertisers and sellers can receive information about the number of views, likes, comments and shares of their content, as well as information to understand their followers, buyers and the audience of their content. We may create this aggregate information using Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information.
Qualifications & exceptions
Recipients are described as receiving aggregated statistics and insights.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Sellers and their service providers receive transaction information and technical security data
When you buy through the shopping features, sellers and their service providers may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources. TikTok shares information related to your transaction with them, and certain technical information for security purposes.
Third-party platforms and partners receive information depending on features used and permissions given
Third-party platforms and partners may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources, depending on the features you use and the permissions you grant. TikTok shares it to offer a seamless sign-up, log-in and content-sharing experience and to enable third-party features that let you connect your TikTok account.
Supporting quotations
Third-party platforms and partners, who may receive certain Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources depending on the features you use and the permissions you grant. We share your information with these entities to offer you a seamless sign-up, log-in, and content-sharing experience as well as to enable third-party features which allow you to connect your TikTok account.
Qualifications & exceptions
What a given platform receives depends on the features you use and the permissions you grant.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Information may be shared with affiliates as needed for the policy's purposes
TikTok may share collected information with affiliates controlled by, or under common control with, TikTok USDS Joint Venture as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.
Supporting quotations
We may share Information We Collect with affiliates controlled by, or under common control with, TikTok USDS Joint Venture as necessary for the purposes set forth within this Privacy Policy.
Sharing & Disclosure · Company practice
Information may be shared in connection with a merger, acquisition, asset sale or bankruptcy
TikTok may share collected information in connection with, or during negotiations of, a corporate transaction such as a merger, an acquisition in full or in part, a reorganization or asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
Supporting quotations
We may share Information We Collect in connection with or during negotiations of a corporate transaction, such as a merger, acquisition in full or in part, reorganization, asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.