Whenever a new social app is announced, there’s an intense digital frenzy as influencers of all kinds rush to claim territory in the new world. In the race to be first in a new app, other considerations, such as privacy, can be overlooked. Before the US government banning TikTok later this monthpeople are trying to find the next new entertainment and social platform. That’s why I decided to review the privacy policies of two popular TikTok alternatives, Lemon8 and RedNote, and compare them to other popular social media apps.
Privacy Reports vs. Privacy Policies
Your data is at the center of these boardroom and boardroom battles, so let’s talk about what’s at stake: The information you give up to access an app. I have read the privacy policies for Lemon8 and RedNote. Both of these companies collect and store a lot of your personal data. I don’t like it, but rampant data collection often comes with social media apps. I’m more concerned that some of the apps don’t mention this data collection in the App Store or Google Play Store reports, so it’s harder to make a good decision about privacy.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
For example, RedNote (or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book”) reports in the Play with Google store that it does not collect or store any customer data. This does not comply with the company’s privacy policy, which is strange because RedNote’s privacy policy is well written and fairly easy to read. It even includes a complete overview of the (many) device permissions requested by the app.
Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, so both apps share the same privacy policy, but TikTok’s data collection and sharing report on the Google Play store is much more detailed than Lemon8’s. Some of this discrepancy can be attributed to the new popularity of Lemon8 and RedNote among US-based customers.
To give you a better idea of the types of data that each of these apps collects, I created the following chart to show the data collection reported by popular social media apps on Google’s Play Store:
The Google Play Store reports are pretty straightforward, but the privacy policies for each app are a bit more difficult to parse. Some of the information collected is data that you may voluntarily provide, such as specifying your political affiliation in your profile. Other data, such as your camera roll settings or location, may be collected automatically. I recommend giving up as little information as possible when signing up for apps.
Not all policies are clear about how and when these companies collect your data automatically, so I’ve listed all the main types of data mentioned in each privacy policy in the chart below. To read the text yourself, here are links to the privacy policies for each app: Facebook, Lemon8, RedNote, TikTok, X. In particular, Facebook and RedNote provide detailed instructions for customizing your privacy settings and opting out of some of the most invasive data methods in the privacy policy.
This is a good time to point out that Chinese social media apps appear to be collecting much of the same data that US-based social media companies collect. For example, Meta collects data about your credit score, political and religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and Internet browsing habits. X monitors your device’s battery level while you’re using the app. Lemon8 and TikTok record your keyboard patterns and rhythms. Is any of this information really necessary for these apps to work?
Always check the privacy policy
(Credit: Xiaohongshu/PCMag)
App developers self-report data collection and tracking activity to Apple and Google, and those reports are not independently verified. That’s why I recommend taking time for it read the privacy policy before downloading a new application.
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I know this is not the solution you want. We don’t have to comb through a document or click through a series of modules to find out how a company intends to collect and share the private information it extracts from our computers and phones. Privacy policies are boring and long, and I hate to say it, but sometimes that’s the point: Lulling you into a sense of security through laws. It’s natural to want to trust the companies that make the apps you use every day, but it’s also a good idea to think critically. Ask why an app should collect so much of your information, how companies store that information, and what happens to the data if and when the company is sold.
How much is your privacy worth to you?
(Credit: Xavier Lorenzo via Moment/Getty Images)
It is up to us to save ourselves and our private lives. You can trust that every stakeholder already has your data, so you have nothing to lose. Everyone’s data has been compromised, right? I will not argue with this line of thinking. Heck, even privacy experts have problems opting out of data broker listings. I don’t want the privacy nightmare that is the current version of the internet, but I don’t think the solution is to simply give up your right to keep intimate details about your life.
Instead, join me in going outside and touching the grass for a while. I’m serious! I think it’s time to retire from social media, if only temporarily. Wait and see how and where the chips fall after the TikTok ban and then take your time finding a new place to hang out. Before you download new apps, find out what types of data the companies collect and how they use it by reading the privacy policy. After registering for a new platform, make your profile private and enable multi-factor authentication using a authentication application OR hardware security key. To reduce your online presence a little more, check out our guide to staying anonymous online.
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About Kim Key
Senior Security Analyst
