1 minute video on how TikTok collects information about you even if you don’t have a TikTok account.
(xTend, used in this video, is a free Mac app available from the App Store).
On the day the US House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok, I looked over at my xTend dashboard and saw my computer connecting to TikTok.
I only had browser windows open to Hulu and ChatGPT. Suspecting the TikTok connection was associated with Hulu, I thought I’d check.
In the back window I have xTend’s traffic tab selected and TikTok entered in the search field.
In the front window I have a browser window.
I enter Hulu, and immediately see my computer connecting to TikTok.
It is important to note that Hulu isn’t sending my information to TikTok. Hulu’s web page gets my own computer to send information directly to TikTok.
This is a critical element of the surveillance economy – web sites getting your computer to self-report to these data collection sites.
Clearing TikTok from the search field, we can see my web browser… while only viewing the Hulu site… was connecting to many different sites and sending information about me to them.
You may never use TikTok, but they almost certainly know a great deal of information about you.
In the screenshot below, xTend is looking for “update” programs running this morning (red arrow points to the search field). It was a busy morning for software updates.
CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER (ACTING)
Ashok Madanahalli brings 30+ years of experience in networking and cybersecurity at industry leaders such as Riverbed, Check Point, Extreme Networks, and FORE Systems where he built and led high-performance teams delivering product and market share leadership. At Riverbed, Ashok served as Vice President of Product Management (WAN Optimization and SD-WAN) leading the business transformation to Cloud and SaaS. He has also led Firewall/VPN/UTM and IDS/IPS solutions. Ashok holds a master’s degree in engineering from University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree from National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India.
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING
Trevor leads Ennetix’s efforts on full-stack design and development of the company’s analytics pipeline. He manages the operations of Ennetix platforms across its customer base.
VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING
Todd pioneered the field of network security monitoring in the 1990s with the development of the first widely deployed intrusion detection system, the Network Security Monitor (NSM). In addition to network-based security, he has developed intrusion detection sensors for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Todd is currently focused on bringing innovative network and endpoint security monitoring solutions to Ennetix’s xVisor platform.
FOUNDER AND CTO
Pulak Chowdhury, Founder and CTO, Ph.D., Computer Science, UC Davis
Pulak brings a unique combination of deep networking technology background with advanced research work in Computer Sciences. He provides overall architectural direction and drivers the development activities on xVisor with a highly talented team.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Prof. Dr. Bis Mukherjee, Founder and President (also Distinguished Professor, UC Davis), Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, B.Tech. (Hons.), Electronics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Acknowledged authority in pioneering network technologies for 35+ years. His pioneering contributions in the networking world include: