On June 23, Apple’s iOS 14 raised a privacy concern, where apps can secretly access the clipboard on users’ devices. Currently, countless apps already caught abusing their privacy in this way.
Security researches Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk revealed one of the apps caught snooping is China’s TikTok.
According to the author, TikTok initially responded that the issue is “triggered by a feature designed to identify repetitive, spammy behaviour” and have taken relevant actions to eliminate the issue. Tiktok’s spokeperson also mentioned that It was due to third party SDKs and the outdated library in their app.
However, with the release of the new clipboard warning in the beta version of iOS 14, TikTok was still underfire for such invasive practise that was continued. Given its large influence and prior coverage, TikTok is the highest profile and most totemic of the apps caught out.
The underlying issue is the vulnerability of users’ sensitive credentials.
If TikTok is active on your phone while you work, the app can basically read anything and everything you copy on another device: Passwords, work documents, sensitive emails, financial information.
Apple’s latest iOS will thus assure that TikTok fixes the issue, and all iPhone users are urged to update to the latest version of any apps, for enhanced security protection.
