The FBI May Still Use the TikTok Content You Deleted Against You

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The phone numbers used by a suspect and suspected accomplice called Fernando Enriquez were connected to seven bank robberies in five states earlier this year, according to the FBI, using cell-tower data. According to a search warrant, Forbes reportedly executed The organization obtained email addresses and Enriquez’s Google, Instagram, and TikTok accounts by comparing phone numbers and names with those in other police databases. The FBI claimed to have found a picture of Enriquez’s TikTok parked in front of a Chevrolet SUV that appeared to be a getaway car. Investigators said that tattoos visible in the photos appear to match those seen on bank surveillance. Later, the FBI attempted to obtain additional information directly from TikTok, including any data that had been deleted from his account.

While the search warrant demonstrates how monitoring beginning with a so-called “cell tower dump” could lead law enforcement to target a variety of other social media accounts, it also reveals disagreement regarding how long TikTok would be monitored. Once the user chooses to remove it, the police can still access the information and who was involved.

The Guidelines Are More Explicit when It Comes to Other Major Social Media Platforms.

The guidelines are more definite when it comes to other social media behemoths. As per its policy, Google retains user data for a period of two months after deletion, though this can be increased to six months if the data is kept on encrypted backups. A little more complexity exists in Facebook policies. In accordance with its “nature” and any applicable legal requirements, it claims to retain the data. The policy states, “For instance, when you search for something on Facebook, you can access and erase that query from your search history at any time, but the search log for that query is deleted after six months.

Your Deleted TikTok Content Can Still Be Used Against You By The FBI

Unless otherwise specified, we delete the copy of your government-issued ID that you send us for review when you submit it for account verification purposes for 30 days. It skips through all the many information sources users use to supply Facebook with data. But it does state that if a Facebook account is canceled, all data will be permanently wiped within 90 days.

Less Clear Is how Us Law Enforcement Can Obtain Such Data from The Chinese Company.

Less is known about how long the Chinese business TikTok retains deleted data and how US law enforcement can access it. According to the Enriquez case, it appears the FBI thinks it can obtain any kind of information from ByteDance’s massive social network, including messages, videos, and location data, even if the content has been removed by TikTok users. having left

Your Deleted TikTok Content Can Still Be Used Against You By The FBI

The FBI sent a letter to an address in Culver City, California, asking for information about Enriquez, who is allegedly responsible for robberies in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California, and Mississippi. In 2020, TikTok opened a West Coast office there. In a court document, the FBI agent who drafted the search request writes, “Even if… Huh.” The agent claimed that TikTok “appears to have rendered the material private, locked, or destroyed by users.”
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A Security Expert at The University of Surrey in The United Kingdom

People mistake delete with a wipe, according to Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey in the UK, who specializes in encryption and security. “True secure erase always entails overwriting storage and memory with unrelated material to eliminate the original,” he added. The devil is in the details, and forensic technology can recover information up to an astonishing level of detail, despite what many messenger apps claim.

Forbes TikTok was questioned on how it managed user data and when it was removed. In response, the firm cited open records demonstrating that user data is kept on servers in the US and Singapore. Less is known about what it does with the deleted data.

When Destroyed Data Is Completely Removed.

According to the terms of service of TikTok, “We maintain the information necessary for the Platform and other purposes set forth in this Privacy Policy.” When we have a legitimate commercial interest in doing so, we also retain information when it’s required to meet contractual and legal responsibilities (such as improving and developing the Platform and ensuring its safety, security, and stability). amplified), as well as concerning assertions of legal rights.

Your Deleted TikTok Content Can Still Be Used Against You By The FBI

More information regarding the information police can obtain and where they can get it is provided in its law enforcement handbook, but TikTok doesn’t set a time limit. when destroyed data is completely removed.

Latest Transparency Report from Tik Tok

This is significant because, according to TikTok’s most recent transparency report, the corporation is becoming more interested in providing information to law enforcement. The number of requests from the government for TikTok user data decreased from 2,000 in the first half of 2021 to roughly 3,500 in the following six months. Three years prior, it had gotten 1,000 requests for the entire year 2019.


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