Whenever a new social app is announced, there’s an intense digital stampede as influencers of all kinds rush to claim territory in the new world. In the race to be first to a new app, other considerations, like privacy, may go unnoticed. Ahead of the US government’s ban on TikTok later this month, people are scrambling to find the next new entertainment and social platform. That’s why I decided to examine the privacy policies of two popular TikTok alternatives, Lemon8 and RedNote, and compare them with other popular social media apps.
Privacy Reports vs. Privacy Policies
Your data is at the heart of these boardroom and stateroom battles, so let’s talk about what’s at stake: The information you give up to access an app. I 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 privacy decision.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
For example, RedNote (or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book”) reports in the Google Play store that it does not collect or store any customer data. This does not match the company’s privacy policy, which is strange because RedNote’s privacy policy is well-written and pretty easy to read. It even includes a thorough summary of the (many) device permissions requested by the app.
Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, so the two apps share the same privacy policy, but TikTok’s data collection and sharing report on Google Play store is much more detailed than Lemon8. Some of these discrepancies may be attributed to Lemon8 and RedNote’s newfound popularity among US-based customers.
To give you a better idea of the kinds of data each of these apps collects, I created the chart below to show the data collection reported by popular social media apps in Google’s Play Store:
The Google Play store reports are fairly straightforward, but the privacy policies for each app are a little harder to parse. Some of the information collected is data you can provide voluntarily, such as specifying your political affiliation on 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 of the policies are clear about how and when these companies collect your data automatically, so I listed all of the major data types 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. Notably, Facebook and RedNote provide detailed instructions for customizing your privacy settings and turning off some of the more invasive data collection 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 web browsing habits. X monitors your device’s battery level while you’re using the app. Lemon8 and TikTok record your keystroke patterns and rhythms. Is any of that information really necessary for these apps to function?
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 the time to read the privacy policy before downloading a new app.
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I know this is not the solution you want. We shouldn’t have to comb through a document or click through a series of modules to discover how a company intends to collect and share the private information it siphons from our computers and phones. Privacy policies are boring and long, and I hate to say it, but sometimes that’s the point: To lull you into a sense of security via legalese. 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 needs to 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’s up to us to save ourselves and our private lives. You might believe that any interested party already has your data by now, so you have nothing to lose. Everyone’s data is compromised, right? I won’t argue with that line of thinking. Heck, even privacy experts have trouble opting out of data broker listings. I don’t love the privacy nightmare that is the current version of the internet, but I don’t think the solution is to just give up on your right to preserve intimate details about your life.
Instead, join me in going outside and touching grass for a while. I’m serious! I think it’s time to retreat from social media, if only temporarily. Wait and see how and where the chips fall after TikTok’s ban, and then take your time finding a new place to socialize. Before you download the new apps, find out what kinds of data companies collect and how they use it by reading the privacy policy. After signing up for a new platform, make your profile private and enable multi-factor authentication using an authenticator app or hardware security key. To reduce your online presence a bit more, check out our guide to staying anonymous online.
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About Kim Key
Senior Security Analyst
