Most people expect social media apps to collect data when they use them. What many don’t realise is that TikTok can gather information about you even if you’ve never downloaded the app.
Recent reporting by the BBC has highlighted how TikTok’s advertising tracking tools operate far beyond the platform itself. The findings raise important questions about how online tracking works. And what you can realistically do to limit it.
How TikTok tracks activity outside its app
Like many large technology companies, TikTok uses something known as a tracking “pixel”.
A pixel is a small piece of code that website owners add to their pages. It allows advertising platforms to collect information about what visitors do, such as:
- Pages viewed
- Buttons clicked
- Forms completed
- Purchases made.
Website owners use this data to measure whether their advertising is effective. If someone sees an advert on TikTok and later buys something, the pixel can connect those events.
This isn’t unique to TikTok.
Google and Meta have operated similar systems for years. But what has raised concern is the scale and sensitivity of the data being transmitted in some cases.
What kind of data is involved?
According to BBC reporting, cybersecurity researchers analysed recent updates to TikTok’s tracking tools and found they may capture more information than many users would expect.
In some test cases, data was reportedly transmitted to TikTok via embedded tracking tools when users interacted with websites related to:
- Cancer support
- Fertility testing
- Mental health services.
TikTok says websites are responsible for complying with privacy laws and are prohibited from sharing sensitive information.
The company states that its privacy policies are transparent and that users are given tools to control their experience. However, critics argue this offers limited reassurance when, even if a person has never created a TikTok account, websites using the pixel may still be sending data about their activity.
Why this matters
Online advertising is built on data. The more platforms know about users, the more precisely adverts can be targeted. Some people welcome personalised advertising. Others are uncomfortable with the level of surveillance required to generate it.
The risks aren’t just about seeing more relevant adverts. Detailed behavioural profiles can potentially be used for purposes such as:
- Political messaging
- Differential pricing
- Behavioural influence
- Targeting during moments of vulnerability.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal showed how personal data collected from social media users was later used to create targeted political messaging during elections, highlighting the risks when behavioural data is repurposed beyond its original intent.
The issue is not confined to TikTok. Major platforms, including Google and Meta operate much larger tracking networks across the web. But TikTok’s recent expansion of its advertising infrastructure — including changes to how its pixel functions — has brought renewed scrutiny.
Can you stop TikTok tracking you?
You can reduce it significantly, although complete invisibility online is difficult. Here are some practical steps you can take in minutes:
1. Switch to a privacy-focused browser
Browsers such as Brave, DuckDuckGo, Firefox or Safari may offer stronger default tracking protections than Google Chrome.
Chrome remains the most widely used browser in the UK, but privacy researchers have found that Chrome allows more third-party tracking by default than some of the alternatives.
2. Install a tracker-blocking extension
Tools such as:
- DuckDuckGo Privacy
- Essentials
- Disconnect
- Privacy Badger
- Ghostery
- uBlock Origin
can block tracking pixels from loading.
Be cautious when installing browser extensions. Only download from reputable sources.
3. Limit cross-platform data matching
Avoid using the same personal details — such as the same email address — across every service. This makes it harder for advertising systems to match your behaviour across multiple sites.
4. Review TikTok’s privacy settings
If you use TikTok, check in-app privacy controls. Users can request deletion of certain data collected via tracking tools, although this does not necessarily prevent future tracking.
The wider issue: digital identity and regulation
This isn’t just about one app. Modern advertising relies on an ecosystem of invisible tracking tools that operate behind the scenes of everyday websites.
And, while the platforms argue that tracking tools are industry standard, privacy campaigners say the balance between commercial advertising and individual rights has tipped too far.
Stronger privacy laws, clearer enforcement and greater transparency may ultimately be needed to address systemic tracking, not just on TikTok, but across the digital advertising sector as a whole.
At Join the Claim, we believe digital identity data deserves meaningful protection.
If companies are collecting data about your health interests, financial decisions or personal vulnerabilities, the public deserves to know exactly how that information is handled and what safeguards exist if something goes wrong.
Understanding how advertising systems work is the first step to protecting your data online. A few small changes to your browser and settings can significantly reduce the amount of information shared. Because when it comes to your digital footprint, what you don’t see can still affect you.
At Join the Claim, we’re calling on organisations to back our five-point Digital ID pledge — demanding full transparency over where data is stored, strict limits on data sharing, independent security audits and clear accountability when things go wrong. If digital identity data is being collected, it should be properly protected.
