Joe Rogan reveals his concern with TikTok’s terms and services

Kawter Abed
Joe Rogan podcast

Joe Rogan was left in disbelief after reading TikTok’s terms and services, saying parts of their privacy policy are “crazy.”

On a recent episode of his podcast, the ‘Joe Rogan Experience,’ Rogan claimed TikTok could pose a threat to the data privacy of its users.

He told his guest Theo Von: “Oh my God! I read TikTok’s terms and services. I went down a TikTok rabbit hole yesterday.”

When Von asked if they were good or bad, Rogan responded “Bad!”

“I stayed home, smoked a little weed, and started reading up on TikTok. Oh my God! I’m gonna read you this, ’cause this is so crazy,” he said, before reading articles from the social media app’s privacy policy.

“Listen to this, this is from TikTok’s privacy policy,” he continued. “It said, ‘We collect certain information about the device you use to access the platform, such as your IP address, user region.’ This is really crazy.”

Joe Rogan reveals concern about TikTok policies

Rogan appeared to be worried about the social media app’s ability to monitor “keystroke patterns” and “audio settings.”

He said agreeing to the terms gives TikTok the ability to see what its users type, and to listen to them through their devices’ mics.

When his guest, Von, asked Rogan what happens once the social media app collects its users’ data, he responded: “It ends with China having all your data.”

The UFC color commentator firmly believes that the Chinese social media platform poses a threat to users’ data privacy and safety.

During the podcast discussion, Von asked Rogan if he thinks TikTok was created for the sole purpose of mining data, to which Rogan responded that he “100 percent” believes that to be the case.

Two phones with TikTok logo showing
TikTok has faced criticism regarding its terms and privacy policy in recent months.

The podcaster said: “I think they saw that people are addicted to social media and they came up with the most addictive version of social media, which is TikTok. It’s the most addictive by far. It’s the best for sucking people in.”

This analysis is in line with several lawmakers in the United States, with the FCC Commissioner recently calling for it to be banned on Apple and Android devices. This followed a Buzzfeed report which stated the app “collects vast troves of sensitive data about U.S. users,” which can be accessed by Chinese officials.

TikTok has since responded to the criticism regarding its privacy policy, stating changes are in the pipeline.

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About The Author

Kawter Abed is a London-based Entertainment Writer at Dexerto. She covers celebrity and reality TV news, and the latest viral TikTok trends. Kawter has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media, and a Master’s in International Journalism. When she's not covering celebrities and TikTok stories, she enjoys reading, binging shows on Netflix, and playing nostalgic Nintendo games. You can contact her at kawter.abed@dexerto.com