TikTok can track users with Chinese government app and circumvent government policies Apple

It seems that the updates of the Apple will not be the final frontier of user privacy: ByteDance, the creator of TikTok, is testing a Chinese government app that continues to track users even without their permission. The program, called CAID, was developed by the 2000-member China Propaganda Association (CAA) and is being tested by other Chinese tech giants, including Tencent.

According to the Financial Times, ByteDance has created an 11-page guide for developers, referring to CAID as “a fallback for advertisers who don’t have access to users’ IDFAs.” The company confirmed that it is testing the tool, but declined to comment further.

Although the Apple If TikTok can detect apps that use CAID to track users, banning TikTok (or any other app) from its store could create conflict with the Chinese market. “They can’t ban every app in China,” says Zach Edwards, founder of technology consultancy Victory Medium. “If they did, it would lead to a series of actions that would lead to Apple to be banned from China.”

CAA is currently in communication with the Apple about an exception for the Chinese market. The Association claims not to be against the new privacy policies, and states that CAID is in testing and is not being formally applied.

Privacy policy

Starting with iOS 14.5 update, the Apple determined that apps in its store would no longer track users without authorization. The decision caused a stir among companies such as Google e Facebook, who built their business model on the tracking e sale of user data. TikTok is also expected to stop tracking users, but the Chinese government app could circumvent the change.

Yang Congan, an expert at Chinese data privacy firm Digital Union, believes CAID circumvents the rules of Apple by leaving out “only” the user – and tracking the rest. “This is the gap that companies will have to exploit,” says the consultant, who suggests that the focus on users is strictly intentional.

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. Ars Technica

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