Disentangling ourselves from TikTok is more complicated than simply banning the app—just ask the state of Maryland. according to a in The Wall Street Journalis one of several states that used the TikTok tracking pixel on a government website despite a state ban banning TikTok-related software on official devices and networks.
According to the report, Maryland was one of 27 states that had a code for the TikTok tracking pixel embedded on an official government website. While these types of tools are extremely common (tracking pixels help online advertisers target their ads), their use has also been heavily criticized by
In the Maryland case, the TikTok pixels were found on a state-run COVID website and were related to an ad campaign from last year. Similarly, the TikTok pixel was also found on a website run by the Utah Department of Labor Services, which said The Wall Street Journal the pixel was used for an ad campaign targeting job seekers. Like Maryland, Utah also banned TikTok on government devices.
The report underscores how, even with the bans in place, it is difficult for governments to completely disassociate themselves from TikTok. The company is currently dealing with the threat of one in the United States if parent company ByteDance doesn’t divest its stake in the service. CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify at a congressional hearing on Thursday, when he will argue that he should ban the app. its 150 million US users.
Elsewhere, a new report in Forbes it highlighted other problems that a nationwide ban may not fully solve. According to the report, TikTok and ByteDance employees can still access the personal data of Indian TikTok users, despite the country banning the app. Forbes notes that this is likely due to the terms of the Indian ban, which apparently “did not appear to require deletion of app data that had already been captured and stored.”
Still, it’s not the first time security experts have questioned whether it would ever be possible to “recover” TikTok user data that the company has already collected. In a weird way, that may make it a bit easier for TikTok to argue that an outright ban would be less effective than its multi-billion dollar plan of strict data controls and other measures aimed at blocking US user data. The plan, known as Project Texas, has so far failed to persuade lawmakers and Treasury Department officials involved in the years-long negotiations with TikTok.
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