TikTok uses information to operate, provide, develop and improve the Platform for the listed purposes
The policy says TikTok uses your information to operate, provide, develop and improve the Platform, "including" the purposes listed in this section, and points to the legal-bases section for more detail. The word "including" means the list is not stated to be complete.
Supporting quotations
We use your information to operate, provide, develop, and improve the Platform, including for the following purposes.
You can find more detail in “Our Legal Bases and How We Process Your Information”.
Qualifications & exceptions
The list of purposes is introduced with "including" and is not stated to be exhaustive.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Providing and administering the Platform, personalisation, and connecting users
TikTok uses information to provide and administer the Platform, such as letting you create, share and consume content, interact with other users and their content, and get user support. It uses information to personalise and customise certain features and content, such as your "For You" feed and content creation tools, and to provide interactive features such as enabling your content to be used in other users' videos (the source list item is cut off after a comma). It also uses information to suggest your account to other users and others' accounts to you to help connect users.
Supporting quotations
Provide and administer the Platform, such as enabling you to create, share, and consume content, to interact with other users and their content, and provide user support.
Personalise and customise certain features and content such as providing your “For You” feed and content creation tools.
Provide certain interactive features, such as enabling your content to be used in other users’ videos
Suggest your account to other users and suggest accounts of others to you to help connect you with other users.
Qualifications & exceptions
The interactive-features list item ends at a comma in the source, so any further examples are not visible.
Not stated here
The text does not say which information feeds the For You feed or account suggestions in this section.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Shopping features: information is shared with sellers, payment and fulfilment providers to process orders
TikTok uses information to provide shopping features (such as personalised shopping benefits) and to facilitate purchase and delivery of products, goods and services. That includes sharing your information with sellers, payment and transaction fulfilment providers and other service providers in order to process orders. The transfers section adds that for transfers to sellers and fulfilment providers in countries without an adequacy decision, TikTok relies on GDPR Article 49 (1)(b) and (c) for purchase information when needed to provide shopping features or process orders.
Supporting quotations
Provide our shopping features (such as personalised shopping benefits) and facilitate the purchase and delivery of products, goods and services, including sharing your information with sellers, payment and transaction fulfilment providers, and other service providers in order to process your orders.
to sellers and transaction fulfilment providers in countries without an adequacy decision when necessary to provide shopping features to facilitate the purchase and delivery of products, goods and services, or to process your orders
Qualifications & exceptions
The sharing is tied to processing your orders.
Transfers to countries without an adequacy decision rely on the Article 49 grounds named in the transfers section.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Enforcement: content is reviewed by technology, including automated means, and by human moderators
TikTok uses information to enforce its Terms, Guidelines and other policies that apply to you. It reviews User Content and other information through a mix of technology (including automated means) and human moderation to protect the safety and well-being of the community.
Supporting quotations
Enforce our Terms, Guidelines, and other policies that apply to you.
We review User Content and other information through a mix of technology (including through automated means) and human moderation to protect the safety and well-being of our community.
Not stated here
The linked Terms and Guidelines are not supplied here.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Advertising: ads are served, with personalised ads only where permitted and, on the ad network, with consent
TikTok uses information to provide and improve its advertising services, including serving ads, with personalised ads included "where permitted". The legal-bases section adds that, with your consent and in regions where it is available, TikTok uses certain information associated with your account to personalise ads served through its advertising network. This section refers to a separate TikTok Ad Network Privacy Policy for how information is processed through the ad network; that policy is not supplied here.
Supporting quotations
Provide and improve our advertising services, including to serve ads (including personalised ads, where permitted).
With your consent and in regions where it is available, we use certain information associated with your TikTok user account to personalise ads served via our advertising network.
Qualifications & exceptions
Personalised ads are conditioned on "where permitted"; the ad-network personalisation is conditioned on consent and regional availability.
Not stated here
The Ad Network Privacy Policy is linked but not supplied, so its details are unknown from this text.
The text does not say which regions have ad-network personalisation available.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Analytics reports for partners, sellers and creators; seller marketing messages with sellers as joint controllers
TikTok creates analytics reports so that partners, sellers and creators can see how their content, ads or products perform and better understand their audience and buyers. It also uses information to facilitate marketing communications from sellers to you on the Platform, and says it acts as a joint controller with the sellers in that scenario. It uses information to promote the Platform or third-party services through marketing communications, contests or promotions.
Supporting quotations
Create analytics reports so that partners, sellers and creators can see how their content, ads or products are performing and to better understand their audience and buyers.
Promote the Platform or third party services through marketing communications, contests, or promotions.
Facilitate the sending of marketing communications by sellers to you on our Platform.
We act as a joint controller with the sellers in this scenario.
Not stated here
The linked seller arrangements are not supplied here.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Safety and security uses, and improving the Platform including training machine learning models
TikTok uses information to maintain and enhance the safety, security and stability of the Platform by identifying and addressing technical or security issues (such as bugs, spam accounts, and detecting abuse, fraud and illegal activity). It also uses information to review, improve and develop the Platform, including by monitoring interactions and usage across your devices, analysing how people use it, and training, testing and improving its technology, such as machine learning models and algorithms.
Supporting quotations
Maintain and enhance the safety, security, and stability of the Platform by identifying and addressing technical or security issues or problems (such as technical bugs, spam accounts, and detecting abuse, fraud, and illegal activity).
Review, improve, and develop the Platform, including by monitoring interactions and usage across your devices, analysing how people are using it, and by training, testing, and improving our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms.
Not stated here
This block does not say which categories of information are used to train models.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Interactive features like Duet and Stitch let others include your videos if your settings allow
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says interactive features such as Duet and Stitch enable other users to include your videos in their videos, if you allow this in your settings. The interest relied upon is providing tools to inspire creativity, collaboration and enjoyment and creating opportunities for users to reach new audiences. The information used is Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information.
Supporting quotations
Enable users to create content with interactive features.
Interactive features, like Duet and Stitch, enable other users to include your videos in their videos (if you allow this in your settings).
To provide users with tools to inspire creativity, collaboration, and enjoyment, and to create opportunities for users to reach new audiences.
Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information.
Qualifications & exceptions
Other users can include your videos only if you allow it in your settings.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Suggesting your account to others on a legitimate-interest basis, including when a user syncs their contacts
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says it may suggest your account to other users, including when a user chooses to sync their contacts with the Platform. The interest relied upon is enabling users to quickly and efficiently find and connect with each other. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources. Another user's contact sync can therefore lead to your account being suggested to them.
Supporting quotations
Suggest your account to other users.
We may suggest your account to other users, including when a user chooses to sync their contacts with the Platform.
To enable users to quickly and efficiently find and connect with other users.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
Qualifications & exceptions
The suggestion is stated to occur "including" when another user syncs contacts, so it is not limited to that case.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Generic ads are shown to all users, including those who chose not to receive personalised ads
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says it shows all users generic ads, including those who have chosen not to receive personalised ads. The interest relied upon is keeping the Platform free of charge. TikTok says it processes limited categories of your information to make sure the advertising service is useful to advertisers, for example to serve ads to users in a particular country or to users who speak the same language. The information used is Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information. Opting out of personalised ads therefore does not stop ads or this limited processing.
Supporting quotations
Provide all users with generic advertising.
We show all users generic ads, including those who have chosen not to receive personalised ads.
We show generic ads to keep the Platform free of charge.
We process limited categories of your information to make sure our advertising service is useful to our advertisers (for example, to serve ads to users in a particular country or to users who speak the same language).
Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information.
Qualifications & exceptions
The processing is described as "limited categories" of information, with country and language as examples.
Measurement and analytics services help creators, sellers and advertisers see how ads and content performed
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says it helps creators, sellers and advertisers measure the effectiveness and distribution of ads and other content viewed on the Platform. The interest relied upon is letting them see how their ads or content performed and the audience that viewed or interacted with them, so they can make informed decisions such as which campaigns to run, which audience to reach and what content users enjoy most. TikTok adds that this helps keep the ads and other content shown to users relevant and entertaining and keeps the Platform free for all users.
Supporting quotations
Provide measurement and analytics services.
We help creators, sellers and advertisers measure the effectiveness and distribution of ads and other content viewed on the Platform.
To enable creators, sellers and advertisers to view and understand how their ads or content performed and the audience that viewed or interacted with their ads or content.
This helps keep the advertising and other content we show users relevant and entertaining, and keeps the Platform free for all users.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Measurement and analytics on legitimate interests draw on all three information categories
Continuing the measurement and analytics item under legitimate interests, the interest relied upon is letting creators, sellers and advertisers understand how their ads or content performed and who viewed or interacted with them, so they can make informed decisions such as which ad campaigns to run, which audience to reach and which content users enjoy most. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Supporting quotations
We help creators, sellers and advertisers measure the effectiveness and distribution of ads and other content viewed on the Platform.
This is so that they can make informed decisions (such as what kinds of ad campaigns they may want to run, the type of audience they want to reach and the types of content that users enjoy the most).
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Community safety: reviewing User Content, Messages where law permits, and inferring or checking your age
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says it uses your information to ensure the safety and well-being of the community, including by reviewing User Content, and, if permitted under applicable law, Messages and associated metadata, for breaches of its Terms, Guidelines and other policies. It also infers your age range and, under certain circumstances, may ask you to provide additional information to confirm your age. The interest relied upon is keeping the community safe, reviewing compliance with the Guidelines and identifying misuse of the Platform. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources. The collection section lists age-range as an inferred attribute.
Supporting quotations
Ensure the safety and well-being of our community.
We use your information to ensure the safety and well-being of our community, including by reviewing User Content (and if permitted under applicable law, Messages and associated metadata) for breaches of our Terms, Guidelines, and other policies.
We also infer your age range, and under certain circumstances, may ask you to provide additional information to confirm your age.
To keep our community safe, review compliance with our Guidelines, and identify misuse of the Platform.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
We infer your attributes (such as age-range and gender) and interests based on the information we have about you.
Qualifications & exceptions
Reviewing Messages and metadata is conditioned on being permitted under applicable law.
Requests to confirm age occur "under certain circumstances", which are not specified.
Not stated here
The circumstances in which TikTok asks you to confirm your age are not stated.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Improving and promoting the Platform, including training machine learning models and reviewing support messages
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says it uses the information it has to understand how people use the Platform and to develop, test and improve it, including developing and improving its technology such as machine learning models and algorithms. It also uses the information to better understand and promote the Platform, popular topics and emerging trends, and to offer certain personalised features, and reviews messages you exchange with customer support to improve technologies supporting such functions. The interest relied upon is improving, promoting and developing the Platform in an informed way. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Supporting quotations
Review, improve, promote, and develop the Platform.
We use the information we have to understand how people are using the Platform and to develop, test, and make improvements to the Platform, including to develop and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms.
We also use this information to better understand and promote the Platform, popular topics, and emerging trends, and offer certain personalised features.
We also review messages you exchange with customer support to improve technologies supporting such functions.
To improve, promote, and develop the Platform in an informed way.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
Not stated here
The passage does not limit which categories of information train machine learning models beyond naming the three categories used for this purpose.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Marketing communications: messages about the Platform and third-party products, with consent where required
Under legitimate interests, TikTok says you may receive marketing messages about the Platform and about third-party products and services where it thinks they will interest you. Where required, it says it will obtain your consent to send such communications. The interest relied upon is promoting the Platform and third-party products and services. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Supporting quotations
Marketing communications.
You may receive marketing messages about the Platform and third party products and services where we think they will interest you.
Where required, we will obtain your consent to send you such communications.
To promote the Platform and third party products and services.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
Qualifications & exceptions
Consent is promised only "where required"; otherwise marketing is justified as a legitimate interest.
Not stated here
The text does not say which circumstances require consent.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Under-18 users, personalisation: For You feed and account suggestions on a legitimate-interest basis
For users who cannot enter into an enforceable contract, TikTok relies on legitimate interests to personalise certain features and content, such as providing the For You feed, which shows videos TikTok thinks you would be interested in, and suggesting accounts to you. The interests relied upon are providing, supporting and maintaining features that let these users communicate, discover, create and engage with content and users relevant to their interests, and the users' own interest in accessing the Platform and content relevant to their interests. The information used is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Supporting quotations
Personalise features and content
We use your information to personalise certain features and content on the Platform, such as providing your “For You” feed, which shows you videos that we think you would be interested in
To provide, support, and maintain products and features that enable users who can’t enter into an enforceable contract with us to communicate, discover, create and engage with content and users relevant to their interests.
We also rely on the legitimate interest of our users who can’t enter into an enforceable contract with us in being able to access the Platform and content relevant to their interests.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Personalised ads on consent: based on activity on and off the Platform, and via the ad network where available
With your consent, TikTok says it serves you personalised ads on the Platform based on your activity on and off the Platform. With your consent and in regions where it is available, it uses certain information associated with your TikTok account to personalise ads served through its advertising network; a separate Ad Network Privacy Policy is linked and not supplied here. The information used for this purpose is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources. This consent-based personalisation sits alongside the generic ads shown to everyone, including people who chose not to receive personalised ads.
Supporting quotations
Personalised advertising.
With your consent, we serve you personalised ads on the Platform based on your activity on and off the Platform.
With your consent and in regions where it is available, we use certain information associated with your TikTok user account to personalise ads served via our advertising network.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources for this purpose.
Qualifications & exceptions
Ad-network personalisation is conditioned on both consent and regional availability.
Not stated here
The regions where ad-network personalisation is available are not listed.
Use & Processing · Company practice
Other consent-based uses: storing payment card details, sellers' marketing messages, and device permissions
With your consent, TikTok says it stores your payment card information to facilitate future transactions through the Platform; the information used is Information You Provide. With your consent, it facilitates the sending of marketing communications to you by sellers on the Platform and/or shares your email address with sellers for that purpose; the information used is Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information (the source item ends at a comma). TikTok also collects information that you allow it to receive through your device-based settings, such as access to your camera, photos and location services, and uses it for the subsequent purposes described in the policy; the information used there is Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information and Information From Other Sources.
Supporting quotations
With your consent, we store your payment card information to facilitate future transactions through our Platform.
Information You Provide
With your consent, we facilitate the sending of marketing communications to you by sellers on our Platform and/or share your email address with sellers for the purpose of sending marketing communications to you.
Information You Provide and Automatically Collected Information
We collect information that you allow us to receive through your device-based settings (such as access to your camera, photos and location services) which we use for subsequent purposes as described in this Privacy Policy.
Information You Provide, Automatically Collected Information, and Information From Other Sources
Retain your payment card information.
Sellers’ marketing communications.
Device permissions.
Qualifications & exceptions
Each use is stated to rest on your consent or on what you allow in device settings.
Not stated here
The source list item for sellers' marketing information used ends at a comma.