Multinational tech company Apple is committed to promoting privacy with the iOS 14, especially after the launch of the many features during the first day of the 2020 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference event.
Included in the discussions on user privacy, there are new features that will provide users with more control over their data. One of these revealed is a new banner notification that allows users to know if an app is pasting from clipboard. According to 9to5Mac, this has already been exposing the behavior of known apps.
Constant clipboard reading
According to reports over the web after the unveiling of the iOS 14 beta, TikTok is among the apps that constantly makes readings from clipboards of users. This is why the Apple notification banner shows up during the time the app is running.
Filipe Espósito wrote on 9to5Mac that this has not just annoyed users, but also made them worry that TikTok might be copying your data without permission.
What does TikTok have to say? The company spoke with the media and said that it never collects data from the clipboard. Instead, these readings might be from their custom system that identifies spam behavior.
They are hinting; this is the reason behind the privacy banner constantly appearing on iPhone devices. In turn, TikTok said it will no longer automatically access clipboards of users considering the update from the app.
RELATED STORY: TikTok New Policy: No More Private Messaging For Teens Under 16
Further information
For the app, this may have been from a feature that detects "repetitive and spammy behavior," the report said. Update versions are submitted to the App Store to remove the anti-spam feature and distinguish between these actions.
The company reiterates it is committed to protecting the privacy of users and is transparent on how the app works.
As a matter of fact, there are reportedly more apps being checked on the iOS clipboard. These include Google News, Patreon, Call of Duty Mobile, AliExpress, AccuWeather, and Overstock.
"We don't know the exact reason for each app to read what users copied from other apps, but TikTok's decision proves that Apple is right to implement more privacy tools," Espósito added on 9to5Mac.
Users have been curious about noticing this. Here's a tweet from @MaxelAmador.
Hey @tiktok_us, why do you paste from my clipboard every time I type a LETTER in your comment box? Shout out to iOS 14 for shining a light on this HUGE invasion of privacy. inb4 they say it was a "bug" pic.twitter.com/MHv10PmzZS — Maxel (@MaxelAmador) June 25, 2020
Meanwhile, TikTok had landed a rivalry with YouTube when it introduced new features that allow users to record 15-second multi-segment videos. In this experiment, users will see the option to create videos and upload them on mobile the same day that people do it over on TikTok.They can hap and hold the record video button to record, tap again or release the button to stop recording and repeating the process until 15 seconds is achieved. YouTube uploads it as a single video.
