TikTok data collection could reveal what floor a user is on, cybersecurity firm says

Last year, Internet 2.0 released a study on the data TikTok attempts to collect on user devices, which includes contact lists and calendars, and its scanning of hard drives and geolocating devices on an hourly basis.

After the report, a number of western countries, including Australia, banned the app from government-issued devices amid fears about whether the Chinese government could access data under national security law.

The director of Internet 2.0, David Robinson, on Thursday told a Senate committee hearing on foreign influence on social media that TikTok had never directly addressed the issues his firm had raised in the report.

A spokesperson for TikTok rejected the claim, saying GPS data was not collected in Australia, and only collected overseas where users enable it.

The hearing continues on Friday.