TikTok actively collects information about its users, which is common practice for apps; however, it is less obvious that the company monitors user activity in other parts of the internet unrelated to TikTok.
Interestingly, TikTok collects sensitive information about you even in cases where you have never used the app. Last week, I noticed how various websites were sending TikTok data about cancer diagnoses, fertility issues, and even mental health problems. This is part of a broad surveillance network that extends beyond the social platform. Now, with new features, TikTok is ready to deepen its understanding of your life.
These changes occurred just a few weeks after the American division of TikTok was sold to a group of companies linked to U.S. President Donald Trump. This deal raised new privacy concerns among both human rights experts and users, although TikTok assures that it has transparent rules for handling government data requests.
However, there is some good news. A few simple actions that take just five minutes can help you protect your data from TikTok.
The situation is complicated by changes to the TikTok "pixel"—a tool used to track user behavior online. At the request of the BBC, the cybersecurity company Disconnect analyzed this tool and found that the updated pixel collects information in unusual ways compared to competitors.
“This is an extremely invasive process,” notes Patrick Jackson, CTO of Disconnect. “With this level of data exchange, when you analyze the actual pixel code, you notice that it looks very bad.”
When I filled out a form indicating that I was a cancer patient, the site sent my email address to TikTok along with that information.
According to TikTok, users are informed about how their data is processed through the privacy policy and notifications. The company also claims to offer users tools to control privacy settings.
“TikTok provides users with transparent information about its privacy policy and offers a variety of tools to personalize their experience,” said a TikTok representative. “Advertising pixels are an industry standard and are widely used on social platforms, including the BBC.”
Nevertheless, most people are likely unaware that TikTok can store their data even if they do not have an account on the social network.
Invisible Tracker
Tracking pixels are not a new concept. For many years, companies managing advertising networks, including Google and Meta, have used them to monitor user actions online. These invisible images, the size of a single pixel, are loaded in the background on websites that employ data collection technologies and constantly track you.
Here’s how it works. For example, TikTok encourages companies to add pixels to their websites to collect more data. Let’s say I have an online shoe store. By using a pixel, I allow TikTok to collect information about my customers to show targeted ads. This also helps TikTok understand whether people buy shoes after viewing ads. Thus, I can assess the effectiveness of the ads and possibly pay for further advertising. (Like many news organizations, the BBC uses analytical tools and shares data with advertising partners in accordance with our privacy policy. The BBC does not use TikTok pixels on its site and does not place advertising pixels on third-party resources.)
When it comes to data from the shoe store, this information may seem harmless. However, I have been writing about data collection on TikTok for many years, and pixels can collect extremely personal information.
Last week, I visited a cancer support group website. According to Disconnect, when I filled out a form indicating that I was a cancer patient, the information was sent to TikTok along with my email address. Additionally, one of the websites dealing with women's health sent data to TikTok when I viewed fertility test results. A mental health organization sent a request to TikTok when I was searching for a crisis counselor. Websites using pixels send data about all their visitors, so having a TikTok account does not matter.
A TikTok representative claims that this is not their responsibility. They state that websites must comply with privacy laws and inform users about their data processing policies. TikTok also adds that websites are prohibited from sharing certain types of sensitive information, such as health data, and the company takes steps to notify sites that share unacceptable data.
However, critics point out that the problem is that large tech companies like TikTok are increasingly tracking your actions online. According to DuckDuckGo, a company specializing in privacy protection, TikTok trackers are installed on 5% of leading websites, and this number is steadily growing, although it is significantly lower than Google's, whose trackers are on 72% of sites, and Meta's, which has about 21%.
“This is the same strategy that Google and Meta have used for years,” asserts Peter Dolanski, product executive at DuckDuckGo. He emphasizes that these companies started with small amounts of data and gradually built an empire with vast access to your daily life.
This data can lead to you seeing ads that more accurately match your interests, which may seem appealing. However, such detailed records of your life could not exist if tech companies were not tracking you, and this creates all sorts of risks, Dolanski says.
“Algorithms can use this data to manipulate you,” he warns. “This could be coercion to purchase something, participation in political campaigns, or price discrimination.” Data from advertisements has been used for various purposes, including human rights violations and sexual discrimination.
The TikTok Data Empire
The TikTok pixel has been around for several years, but significant changes have recently occurred in its operation. On January 22, 2026, when the American division of TikTok transitioned to new owners, users were forced to agree to new data collection rules. Among them is a new advertising network that will allow TikTok to show targeted ads on other users' websites. To operate this system, TikTok updated its pixel.
Previously, the TikTok pixel only informed companies whether their ads led to sales in the app. Now it helps track users who see ads, leave TikTok, and make purchases on other sites.
Ariel Garcia, COO of Check My Ads, an organization monitoring digital advertising, notes that this will likely lead to more companies starting to advertise on TikTok, and the pixel will be used more widely. “These tools make the platform more attractive to advertisers, which ultimately contributes to the growth of advertising platforms,” says Garcia.
Disconnect's research showed that the TikTok pixel now collects more information than ever, automatically intercepting data that websites send to Google. Experts noted that this is extremely intrusive. “They are silently collecting data without waiting for the website owner to explicitly share this information with TikTok,” says Jackson, emphasizing that websites may inadvertently send TikTok more data than intended.
TikTok disagrees with this perspective. A company representative claims that TikTok clearly explains what data the pixel collects, and companies can simply configure their websites if they do not want TikTok to see what they are sending to Google. (Google did not respond to a request for comment.)
TikTok also has some privacy settings that can help users. They can “clear” the data that TikTok collects from pixels using the appropriate setting in the app. People without accounts can request the deletion of their data.
However, preventing data collection before it starts will require additional steps.
How to Protect Your Data
On this note, there is both good and bad news. Let’s start with the positive.
The best option is to switch to a more privacy-focused web browser. I understand that this may seem complicated, but bookmarks are easy to import. Give it a try.
About 71% of users choose Google Chrome, which, according to preliminary scientific research, may allow more information to leak than many of its competitors. Privacy experts often recommend DuckDuckGo and Brave browsers, specifically designed to protect data. Firefox and Safari are considered more secure than Chrome, although by default, they are less strict about privacy.
If switching to a new browser is too difficult, install a tracker-blocking extension. I reached out to Disconnect and DuckDuckGo while writing this article, as both companies offer tracker blockers, but there are other alternatives, including Privacy Badger and Ghostery. Some ad blockers, such as AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin, also prevent data collection. DuckDuckGo has a table comparing the best ad blockers. However, be cautious about installing browser extensions not recommended by reliable sources—it's like installing an app, and some of them may be unsafe.
Now for the bad news. Implementing these two steps will help block the TikTok pixel and other privacy threats. But your data protection issues will not disappear.
There are other ways companies share data with TikTok, Google, Meta, and other ad networks. For example, companies can collect data about you and send it directly to tech giants from their servers. “It’s a black box, and I can’t say how often this happens because it all happens behind the scenes,” says Dolanski. “Protecting against this is much more difficult. Your only real defense is not to use the same personal information across different services to make it harder to match your online actions.”
According to Garcia from Check My Ads, the only real solution to the problem is improving privacy protection laws. “This issue goes beyond a single platform. It’s a broader issue of the advertising technology ecosystem that needs to be addressed through stricter regulation,” she says. “The only thing that will really change the situation is when people express their interests to lawmakers and clearly indicate that privacy matters to them.”
Full translation of the BBC article: “TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app. Here’s how to stop it.”
