Many TikTok users find themselves puzzled and worried by the popular video app's purported demand for their iPhone passcode in order to access content.
The fact that experts have no understanding of why TikTok—which was allegedly caught red-handed spying on journalists in the past—is asking for such sensitive data is what makes this even more alarming.
An article in Dataconomy, a publication that includes expert opinion from the sector, said: "TikTok itself doesn't explicitly state the exact cause."
Security hole?
Several additional users began to report the very concerning problem in December, according to Dexerto, after it was first noticed in late November. At around the same time, Apple issued two critical security patches for the iPhone and other products, said the New York Post.
A security hole that may have exposed sensitive user information was fixed in the most recent iOS version, which was released on December 11.
According to Dataconomy, there are potentially four unsettling reasons why TikTok is demanding this personal security information.
The site suggests that the passcode was put in place as a temporary security measure to address privacy concerns or weaknesses. Other possible causes might be an update to the program, a bug, or the activation of restricted mode or a content filter. Dataconomy said that in order to censor content, "restricted mode" may ask for a password.
How to Bypass
Due to obvious safety risks and simple susceptibility to phishing attempts, experts caution that sharing your password is nearly always a terrible decision, particularly in this situation. But it seems like some people have figured out ways around this.
In a Reddit post, users who were asked for their passwords while using TikTok reported that the problem went away when they installed version 32.5.0 of the app.
Another apparent fast fix exists for this problem as well. "Some users have reported bypassing the passcode prompt by selecting 'cancel,' indicating that this might indeed be a bug rather than an intentional feature," as stated by Dataconomy.
Restrictive mode shutdown was also mentioned as a possible solution.
Accusations Against TikTok
This alarming event follows Democrat Senator John Fetterman's recent accusation that TikTok is responsible for the "warped" viewpoint held by many young people about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And in September of last year, European authorities penalized TikTok with a fine of $368 million for violating children's privacy.
Concerned about national security concerns related to TikTok, which was owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning to Congress before the end of 2022.
"They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users, or control the recommendation algorithm which could be used for influence operations if they so choose, or to control software on millions of devices."
