Did you know that TikTok is tracking you? Even if you don’t use the app, the trendiest social network right now is recording valuable data: here’s what you really risk.
Smartphones, as we know, collect data on our habits, on what we say and do at any given moment, and, in fact, represent the most valuable and authentic gateway to our everyday lives. But it’s not just the device that "monitors" us, because apps also record activity, whether they’re used or not. And social media is the smartest in this regard. Even TikTok isn’t shying away.
Gen Z’s favorite platform is a massive data collector of more than 1.6 billion global users and its trend is constantly growing. But the point is another: the social network also accumulates data from all those users who have never used the app. Here’s how (and why) it does it, and what to do to avoid it.
TikTok, why are you doing this?
Behind TikTok’s operation lies a wealth of entertainment... and an extremely precise business model: transforming data into economic value. The platform, like most large digital ecosystems, is based on targeted advertising based on advanced profiling. The more information it can gather about users—tastes, interests, habits, vulnerabilities—the better it can demonstrate to advertisers that their campaigns really work, even outside the app.
It’s not just about those who actively use the app. Even those who have never downloaded TikTok can end up on its radar. The key point is precisely this: following the user throughout their online journey, not just within TikTok. If someone sees an ad on the platform and then purchases on another site, that connection becomes information of enormous commercial value.
It’s no coincidence that the system has been recently enhanced. On January 22, 2026, coinciding with the change of ownership of TikTok’s US operations, users had to accept new data collection practices. Among these, a more extensive advertising network that allows TikTok to track what happens even outside the platform.
This makes the system more attractive to companies and advertisers, as it allows them to precisely measure the effectiveness of ads. But there’s also another aspect. By accumulating data from multiple sources, TikTok can build extremely detailed profiles. According to experts at DuckDuckGo—the search engine that "spys less than others"—it’s the same pattern already seen with Google and Meta: starting from small data points to arrive at a system that has an increasingly complete view of users’ digital lives.
And this also opens up concrete risks and potentially limitless opportunities to influence users and their choices.
TikTok, how do you do it?
While the whys are common to all other social networks (and beyond), it’s the hows that may be surprising. At the heart of the system is the tracking pixel, a tool already widespread in the advertising world but which, in the case of TikTok, has undergone significant changes.
It’s an invisible element inserted into websites that collects data on what you do online. TikTok encourages companies to install it to monitor visitors and improve the performance of advertising campaigns.
But what’s really changed? According to an analysis by cybersecurity firm Disconnect, the updated pixel is extremely invasive and collects more data than before, even in ways uncommon compared to competitors.
Specifically, when you visit a site with this system enabled, information can be automatically sent to TikTok.
And it’s no longer just generic data, but sensitive information like email addresses and phone numbers, for starters, and even monitoring even more intimate medical and healthcare websites (oncology data, fertility tests, requests for mental health support, etc.). And all of this happens even if you don’t have a TikTok account.
Another critical element concerns its technical functioning. The pixel today would be able to automatically intercept data that websites send to other services, like Google, increasing the amount of information collected without direct action from the website itself. And the system’s diffusion is not unique, but is growing rapidly.
Here’s how to avoid being spied on and monitored by TikTok
The result, therefore, is an increasingly extensive network, in which every online interaction can be tracked, connected, and analyzed. The good news is that some concrete solutions exist and take just a few minutes.
The first? Switch browsers. According to various reports, more than 70% of global users now use Google Chrome, one of the browsers that tends to share more data than more privacy-conscious alternatives. Browsers like DuckDuckGo or Brave are designed to automatically block many trackers, while Firefox and Safari also offer better protection than Chrome.
If you don’t want to switch browsers, you can install specific extensions, such as common ad blockers. This is a step towards security. These tools block tracking pixels, including TikTok’s, preventing sites from sending data.
TikTok also offers some internal options: users can delete data collected via pixels from the app’s settings. Furthermore, even those without an account can request removal of associated information. But beware: these solutions aren’t definitive. There are tracking systems that are more difficult to detect, in which companies send data directly from their servers to advertising platforms. This process happens "behind the scenes" and is much more difficult to block.
For this reason, another practical tip—perhaps the most common among those related to internet security—is to avoid using the same personal data across different services. Diversifying emails and information makes it more difficult to connect online activities.
However, the real solution today isn’t just technical: it also involves stricter regulations and greater user awareness. Because tracking is no longer the exception, but the norm.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Come TikTok ti spia e usa i tuoi dati (e come evitarlo)
