The code for the TikTok Pixel web tracker has been spotted on a number of high-traffic US sites. These include resources such as the Arizona Department of Economic Security, the medical journal WebMD, the official site of Girl Scouts, the non-violent nonprofit RAINN, and RiteAid, the third largest pharmacy chain in the United States. , and nonprofit Planned Parenthood sites.

What does TikTok track?

Similar to Meta Pixel and Google Analytics, the TikTok service is designed to analyze the effectiveness of online advertising and, of course, is not limited to tracking users of the short video service. It is usually set up by site owners who need data about the effectiveness of ads on TikTok.

Hundreds of sources exchange data with the Chinese service; The information collected may include users’ IP addresses, unique identifiers in the system, addresses of the pages they visit, and actions on those pages (clicking on buttons and links, entering data in forms, and other interactions).

In other words, the tool allows you to track what percentage of visitors advertising on TikTok came and what actions they took on the relevant page: bought a product, booked a service or signed up. Data about visitors without a TikTok account is provided to advertisers in the form of summary reports.

Patrick Jackson, technical director of Disconnect company, which specializes in cybersecurity, noted that the TikTok Pixel service is used less than its counterparts in Google and Meta.

TikTok representative Melanie Bossele told The Register that the company only uses the analytical service to evaluate the effectiveness of online advertising, and the amount of data collected is regulated by the service’s official policy.