Reddit CEO accuses TikTok as a spyware without basis

Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman expressed an honest but harsh opinion about TikTok, labeling it as "fundamentally parasitic" during an event.

TikTok is one of the hottest social media apps 

Reddit CEO accuses TikTok as a spyware

TikTok is a famous social networking service that is meant for creating and sharing short videos. During a panel discussion with former public policy exec Elliot Schrage and former Facebook VP of Product Sam Lessin, Steve Huffman shared a controversial comment about this app.

It started on a short conversation about the feature innovations of TikTok. Reddit CEO Huffman emphasized that start-up companies from Silicon Valley have something to learn from the said app. He said,

TikTok is one of the hottest social media platforms but the CEO of Reddit had some harsh words for the popular app, calling it "fundamentally parasitic" at an event Wednesday.

The comments from Reddit  CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman were some of the more controversial offered up during a panel discussion with former public policy exec Elliot Schrage and former Facebook VP of Product Sam Lessin. During a brief conversation about the feature innovations of TikTok, Huffman pushed back hard on the notion that Silicon Valley startups had something to learn from the app. 

Maybe I'm going to regret this, but I can't even get to that level of thinking with them. Because I look at that app as so fundamentally parasitic, that it’s always listening, the fingerprinting technology they use is truly terrifying, and I could not bring myself to install an app like that on my phone.

Huffman’s accusation is based on how TikTok tracks the actions of its users. Even though Lessin pointed out that the app had many remarkable innovations, Huffman was one of the few at the event to criticized Tiktok heavily. He also added that he actively tell people not to install the app since he considers it as a spyware

According to TikTok’s privacy policy, it regularly collects usage information, IP addresses, mobile carrier, unique device identifiers, keystroke patterns, and location data, and other data. 

A TikTok spokesperson issued a statement to a publication by dismissing Huffman's comment:  "These are baseless accusations made without a shred of evidence." 

What do you think of the allegations against TikTok?

Sources: TechCrunch, The Verge