How TikTok tracks online activity even if you never installed app

Most people understand that TikTok monitors all of their activity within its own app. What is less apparent is how extensively the company tracks users across other parts of the internet — even on sites unrelated to TikTok. In fact, it gathers sensitive and potentially embarrassing data about people who may never have installed the app at all.

This activity is part of a much broader tracking infrastructure that stretches well beyond the social media platform itself. New features could allow TikTok to widen that network further and gain even deeper insight into users’ online lives, as an article by the BBC points out.

The developments come shortly after TikTok’s US operations were sold to a consortium of companies associated with US President Donald Trump. The transaction has reignited privacy concerns among human rights advocates and some users. TikTok, however, maintains that it follows clear and transparent procedures when responding to government data requests.

At the center of the issue are significant updates to TikTok’s “pixel,” a tracking tool businesses use to observe user behaviour online. The cybersecurity firm Disconnect told the BBC it had identified unusual data-collection practices in the updated version of TikTok’s pixel compared to rival systems.

"It's extremely invasive," says Patrick Jackson, chief technology officer at Disconnect. "This expanded data sharing, when you do analysis of the actual pixel code, you see things that look really bad."

Tracking pixels themselves are not new. For years, advertising networks — including those operated by companies like Google and Meta — have relied on them to monitor web activity. 

A tracking pixel is typically an invisible one-pixel image embedded in a website that loads in the background and enables the collection of user data.

According to the BBC, the system works as TikTok encourages businesses to embed its pixel into their websites to enhance advertising effectiveness. For example, if an online shoe retailer installs the pixel, TikTok can gather information about visitors in order to display targeted advertisements. The tool also helps determine whether someone who views an ad ultimately completes a purchase, allowing advertisers to measure the impact of their campaigns and potentially invest more in ads.

TikTok says its data practices are explained through privacy policies and, in some cases, user notifications. The company also emphasizes that it provides privacy settings to give users greater control.

"TikTok empowers users with transparent information about its privacy practices and gives them multiple tools to customise their experience," a company spokesperson says.

However, many people may not realize that TikTok may hold information about them even if they have never created an account.

The BBC article describes the author’s own experience when visiting a cancer support group’s website. According to Disconnect’s findings, when she selected a form option indicating she was a cancer patient or survivor, the site transmitted her email address and that information to TikTok.

A TikTok spokesperson responded by stating that responsibility lies with website operators, who are required to comply with privacy regulations and inform users about how their data is handled.

Critics argue that the broader concern is the growing reach of large technology firms like TikTok, which increasingly track users’ activities across the web. Research by privacy-focused company DuckDuckGo indicates that TikTok trackers appear on around 5% of the world’s most popular websites. While that figure has risen steadily, it remains far below Google’s presence on nearly 72% of top sites and Meta’s on approximately 21%.

Although TikTok’s pixel has existed for years, it underwent major changes on 22 January 2026, when the company’s US operations formally changed ownership. At that point, users were required to accept updated data collection terms, including participation in a new advertising network designed to serve targeted ads on external websites. To support this system, TikTok modified its pixel.

Previously, the pixel primarily informed advertisers whether their TikTok-based ads generated sales within the app. Under the updated model, it enables companies to continue tracking users after they leave TikTok and complete purchases elsewhere online.

According to Arielle Garcia, chief operating officer at Check My Ads, a digital advertising watchdog organization, this shift could encourage more businesses to purchase TikTok advertising — and lead to the pixel appearing on even more websites. In effect, TikTok’s tracking footprint is likely to grow further.

How to protect yourself

The BBC article suggests that one way to enhance online privacy is by switching to a more privacy-focused web browser. Roughly 71% of users rely on Google Chrome, which preliminary academic studies have suggested may share more data than many competing browsers. Privacy specialists often recommend alternatives such as DuckDuckGo and Brave, which are designed with stronger data protection measures. Firefox and Safari are also generally regarded as more privacy-conscious than Chrome, though their default settings are less restrictive.

Users can additionally install browser extensions that block tracking tools. Both Disconnect and DuckDuckGo offer tracker-blocking extensions, alongside other options such as Privacy Badger and Ghostery.

By Nazrin Sadigova