TikTok Archives

The TikTok Influence

The world just doesn’t know what to do with TikTok. For what appears to be the umpteenth time, news outlets are covering the famous app as U.S. lawmakers work to ban it in the United States. Over 1 billion people tune in to the app monthly, and for reference that closely follows the 1.4 billion people on Instagram, 2.2 billion on YouTube, and 2.9 billion users on Facebook. In the United States alone, TikTok has over 138 million active users who spend an average of 95 minutes on the app per day. It is safe to say that this app has a very particular sway on its users, more so than any other social media platform in history.

According to the Washington Post, in 2021 the trending viral videos of people sharing their favorite books, many of them with the hashtag #BookTok, helped make 2021 one of the publishing industry’s best sales years ever. This trend doesn’t just stop at the publishing industry. Take the Stanley Big Grip Travel Quencher that was on everyone’s Christmas list this past year, it is safe to say that their sales of this viral water bottle were largely influenced by TikTok. The hashtag #stanleytumbler has over 133 million views, and the brand’s TikTok page has over 30 thousand followers. If you can believe it, the app’s influence doesn’t stop there.

In July of 2022, Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan shared internal data showing that an average of 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the United States go to TikTok and Instagram over Google for their search needs. This data makes many businesses wonder what the future holds in regard to consumer behavior. TikTok has already demonstrated its influence with viral videos, but what happens when users start funneling from Google over to TikTok for their searching needs? We have seen other apps such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube attempt to produce the TikTok model with Reels and YouTube Shorts, but nothing seems to beat the incredibly smart algorithm that TikTok holds.

So with all of these incredible benefits on our economy, why would lawmakers be trying to ban TikTok in the United States? TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, who is located in China, have been accused many times of accessing nonpublic data about US TikTok users which is exactly why former president Donald Trump tried to ban the app during his presidency. In a 2021 Senate hearing, a TikTok executive shared that there was a US based security team that decides who gets access to the data, and that US user data was not being handled in China. According to the BuzzFeed News, that is not the whole truth. There were 14 statements made by 9 different TikTok employees sharing that there were Beijing-based engineers that “have access to everything”.

So what does this mean for the app’s future in the US? Currently, both Democrats and Republicans stand mostly unified in their attempts to weaken the immensely popular (and powerful) social media platform. President Joe Biden approved a limited TikTok ban when he signed the over 4,000 page spending bill into law in December. The ban disallows the use of TikTok by the federal government’s employees, which stretch to almost 4 million people, on devices owned by its agencies. The bans don’t stop there, many state government’s banned the app to be used by its employee’s, but also to students and workers who are on the wifi of certain college campuses. University of Oklahoma, University of Texas, Alabama and Auburn are some of the campuses who have set forth this new campus rule.

ByteDance has created a new U.S. Based team as of this past December, to help address these trust and safety issues stating that the purpose was to “build further trust and confidence in the protection of US user data and compliance”. It has been said that President Biden is more inclined to keep the app in the market, but there is no final decision that has yet been made. This safety issue that is being discussed not only affects everyday Americans and the content creators on the app, but it may also have a lasting effect on businesses and the future of social media marketing.

TikTok & the Gabby Petito Case

Gabby Petito, a young and beautiful Social Media Influencer, went on one travel adventure after another with fiancé Brian Laundrie. And thens suddenly, it all took a very dark turn. With Gabby Petito’s potential remains being recently identified in Wyoming, and fiancé Brian Laundrie still missing, this case has captivated the hearts of many across the country.

Questions as to why this happened to her and if it all could have been prevented are on the minds of many. If you search #gabbypetito through TikTok right now you will find more than 480 million people have viewed the videos associated with the hashtag. From TikTok influencers, to witnesses, real time video footage is being posted piecing together the evidence.

How TikTok Helped

Taking a closer look at the videos associated with #gabbypetito, I stumbled upon Miranda Baker’s TikTok channel, a key witness associated with the investigation. Miranda and her boyfriend picked up Brian Laundrie who was hitchhiking around the time of Gabby’s disappearance. She gave a statement to the FBI but afterwards documented her interactions with Brian through her TikTok account. Every video she posted goes into details about Brian, their location, and interaction. Every video has gone viral.

Another video created by Alyssa Rose, shows a YouTube video the couple had posted on one of their adventures. She pauses the YouTube video at marker 6:40, to focus in on a book that Brain Laundrie was reading in a hammock. As she zooms in, she discusses the book he was reading which is “The Annihilation”. This book is about groups of people exploring uncharted terrain that go missing. This particular book series follows four women.

A third video was from Riley Lively, a mom living in New Orleans. She took to her TikTok account and stated in the post, “Putting some of my investigation skills to good use!” In this video she discusses how through sleuthing through an app called “All Trails” she found Gabby Petito’s public account. This app allows you to search and follow other individuals and their hiking trails from around the world. Through this account Riley discovered all of the trails Gabby had saved. She begins to show the lists that Gabby had saved in her account. Many of these hiking trails saved could have been potential spots of where was had gone missing.

Critical Thinking

In OSINT we are taught about the techniques behind finding key pieces of data or evidence that is online. What isn’t always taught? How to apply critical thinking online. Growing your critical thinking skills is just as important in finding key information. Each one of these women took to TikTok and applied their critical thinking skills, piecing together social media content to an ongoing investigation.

The Takeaway

Each of the viral videos above teach us all something valuable! Culture, personality, details, and analysis. Miranda met with the FBI and provided a statement. She also was continuously working with the FBI while creating her video content. My mind immediately goes to the details she is discussing in each post, how she is processing what she witnessed in each video, and what are others saying about the content she is posting in the comments. Are there any additional witnesses there? Any other clues?

Alyssa Rose shared Gabby Petito’s Youtube video. Someone could have easily watched that video and not notice Brian in the hammock reading a book. She took the time to analyze a video that could have easily gone over the heads of many. The online personality of your subject matters. This is a great example of a small piece of information, showing us an insight to Brian Laundrie and his interest.

Riley Liley pieced together Gabby being an influencer, possibly having an account with the ever popular All Trails App and was right. She then was able to view Gabby’s public online account trail lists.

Leave no stone unturned. Think about their interests. If they have a large social media presence, there’s a chance they have apps they are tied to involving their interests.

When we think of social media research, or social media listening, culture is not something that immediately comes to mind. It is only when we begin to dig deeper and identify what our search parameters are, that we begin to understand the role culture plays. TikTok is a culture phenomenon that continues to evolve. It took on an entirely new form over the past two weeks with this case and will continue to do so.

Venmo Tightens Security For Users

Back in May, we posted about Venmo, the app powered by PayPal that allows users to easily send and receive money. What surprises many people, is how public the app is. To date, you can find just about anyone on the app. Not only can you find their profile, if it is set to public, you can see who they are sending money to and sometimes why.

How Venmo Works

This person-to-person app allows you to easily send or receive money from friends, family, or co-workers. Simply click on the “Pay or Request” button, type in your friend’s email, phone number, or username. You can also scan a QR code from the app if your friend is nearby. Venmo is also free when you link your bank account to the app.

It recently drew a lot of attention when someone noticed several members of the Biden family on the app. It brought attention to the security of the app to everyone.

eMarketer.com published a recent article outlining the changes. “PayPal-owned Venmo will introduce new fees and updates to its platform that’ll give users more control over their accounts and add an extra layer of protection for some transactions, per Android Police.”

Privacy Changes for Users

“Privacy and security updates: Users can now change the visibility of their friends list to public, private, or friends. They can also opt out of being seen on other users’ friends lists. And effective July 20, Venmo will expand eligibility for the Purchase Protection Program for transactions sent to business accounts and all payments marked for goods and services by the sender.”
eMarketer.com

It gives the user back the power in terms of who they want to view their information. Some people may view the app as secure since it is a go between your bank account and your venmo account.

Venmo & Social Media

The Washington Post recently published an article about how one user used Venmo to collect money from strangers. Think of a “Go Fund Me” Venmo style. Here are some unique stories of how people use Venmo for crowdfunding:

When Kori Roy was heading out on the final leg of a road trip to celebrate her wife’s 29th birthday in April, she decided to add a message to the rear window of her Hyundai: “Help us get to New Orleans!” she wrote, adding her Venmo and Cash App accounts.

TikTok and Venmo have been a match made in heaven. Many TikTok users were using Venmo as a source to fuel their road trips. People have been using the app to ask for money for all kinds of things. The image below is an example.

Anytime money is being exchanged, one needs to be cautious. It seems for now anyway, there is a level of trust people have with Venmo. Maybe because it is a PayPal app and PayPal seems more secure to most people.

However, there are scams to be aware of. Unlike credit or debit cards, once money has left your account it is gone for good. it is almost impossible to recoup the loss should you send money to a scammer.

Reddit is growing. What You Need to Know

Reddit is a growing platform and has become the go to online community for many people looking to voice opinions. And what better year to do that than 2020?

In August, we published a post about Reddit and Riots. There, we reported that Reddit has grown its user base by 30%. The self-proclaimed front page of the internet now reaches 430 million monthly active users, who collectively have created 199 million posts and 1.7 billion comments.

Reddit Acquires TikTok Rival Dubsmash

Marketing Dive reports the following;

Reddit acquired Dubsmash, a short-form video-sharing social media platform that touts a diverse creator base, per a company blog post. The deal marks Reddit’s first major acquisition, though its financial terms were not disclosed.
Dubsmash will continue to operate its existing platform and brand, but Reddit will integrate the app’s video-creation tools into its own product. Another driver of the acquisition was Dubsmash’s audience: Around one-quarter of Black teens in the U.S. use the app, according to the blog post, while 70% of its user base is female.
Dubsmash claims to draw around 1 billion monthly video views, with 30% of users logging in daily to produce content. The news suggests that user-generated video is a key piece of Reddit’s bid to grow a bigger ad business, a strategy that squares with how the rest of the social media world is moving in the wake of TikTok’s breakout success.

Reddit Grown Plans

Reddit is in the middle of an ambitious plan to grow a bigger advertising business, and it’s increasingly clear that user-generated video content is a linchpin to its overall strategy. The company notched $100 million in ad revenue last year, and claims it is on a path to generate $1 billion in revenue within the next few years, per Ad Age.

Why Dubsmash?

Dubsmash looks to differentiate from the pack by championing a diverse user base, something Reddit could be glomming onto as it tries to broaden who it connects with and assure brands that it’s a safe place to advertise. Reddit has frequently grappled with the presence of racism on its forums, and in the past has favored a free speech position while disallowing open calls to incite violence. However, the site’s tune has started to change of late, as reported in The Atlantic, particularly in reaction to the protest movement for racial justice that swelled over the summer.

Dubsmash has put a more concentrated effort behind helping its Black and Latino influencers make money. Last month, it debuted a feature called Shoutout that allows users to commission videos from celebrities or their favorite creators in a manner akin to Cameo, according to Forbes. The app does not take a cut of the revenue generated from Shoutout videos. In general, Dubsmash does not generate much in the way of revenue at all, according to TechCrunch.

Historically focused on text-based forum discussions around a variety of topics, Reddit has also increased the amount of video-creation tools it offers in recent years to meet consumer demand. The site debuted native video features in 2017, lessening a dependence on third-party hosting sites. Reddit Public Access Network (RPAN), its livestreaming video service, has landed in the spotlight as homebound consumers spend more time watching live video during the pandemic.

Using Social Media Apps for Research

In the world of social media research for investigations, Apps are often times over looked. There is such a high priority given to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, that often times people stop there.

Some social media apps are designed to be used by mobile phone only. Some allow both mobile and desktop login’s. Most of the time the desktop login’s are extremely cumbersome and not easy to navigate. When both are allowed, they often come with different permissions. No matter which you utilize, it is important to understand strategy and tactics for each.

The top Social Media Apps currently are TikTok, Snapchat, and Telegram. For the purpose of this blog post, we will take a quick , topical look at TikTok providing you with some very basic information on how to get started using the app.

TikTok

TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps. As of this writing, TikTok has over 500 million active users (last reported in 2018). Up to 60% of US TikTok users are aged between 16-24, according to a November 2019 release from Reuters. During the time of the Pandemic, with everyone isolated, an entirely new generation has started to use the app. I am sure those numbers have gone way up. We have been searching TikTok in our social media scans for our clients when the age of the suspects warrants it. Recently, we have found that may people in their 30’s are using the app.

You can download the app on your mobile phone and create a login in order to use the app. We would suggest signing up with one of your email addresses that you use for this purpose. Once in, hit “discover” and type in your suspect’s name or user name. Use it to search just like you would any other social media platform. Once the profile is found, you can view their followers and who they are following, but you can’t see their likes.

It is always advisable to use a sock puppet or alias as you would for any search. I would also advise removing the app once you have completed the search for added security. You can always upload it again and log in with your same credentials.

Visual steps to delete the app from your mobile phone

Desktop TikTok

You are able to access TikTok through your web browser at www.ticktok.com to conduct a small amount of searches. You will find that certain features/functions require you to have an account. Once you are all set up with your account, as described above, you can begin testing it out by conducting various searches.

When an investigation requires a deeper dive into a suspect’s TikTok, you will need advanced skills for that task. Installing an Emulator would be the next step in an OSINT search. From there you can conduct more precise keyword searches that align with your specific investigation.

It is so important to stay up to date with all social media sites. They are known to change the rules frequently. Be sure to check back often as we write frequently about social media changes.