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How to secure your TikTok account

Written By AJ Viray
Published • April 25th, 2020
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TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps today. And almost everyone is using it that you can see these videos uploaded on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

However, not everyone is a fan of the said platform, especially US government agencies citing security risks. According to USA Today, the US Navy and the Transportation Security Administration has banned the use of the application for its workers, Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer says that “the TikTok app poses a potential national security risk.” The New York Times has also reported that U.S. Military block access to TikTok and strongly discouraged members of the armed forces from keeping TikTok on their personal electronic devices.

While that is up for debate, regular people, like you and I, who use the platform can still do something to secure our TikTok accounts to keep hackers away or to enhance our privacy within the app. Here are tips on how you can make your TikTok safe and secure as possible.

Table of Contents

Set up a verification code

Most social media platforms use two-factor authentication to help secure user accounts. In the case of TikTok, it uses verification codes sent to your phone number. Here’s how to do it.

STEP 1: Launch the TikTok app
STEP 2: Open the “Me” tab in the bottom right
STEP 3: Next, tap the three vertical dots in the upper right
STEP 4: Tap the “Manage My Account” option
STEP 5: Add your phone number and email address

Whenever you log in to an account, instead of entering a password, you’ll need to input a verification code instead.

See Who’s Using Your TikTok Account

If you want to know if someone else is using your TikTok account, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Launch the TikTok app
STEP 2: Open the “Me” tab in the bottom right
STEP 3: Next, tap the three vertical dots in the upper right
STEP 4: Tap “Manage My Account”
STEP 5: “Security”

From here you will see security alerts or warnings if there are any.

STEP 6: Select “Your Devices”

Now, you can explore all the devices that have logged-in to your TikTok account. If you don’t recognize any of those devices or you want to remove your old device, you can remove it from here. I suggest you checking this section from time to time, to be sure.

Make TikTok videos private

Not all clips you make on TikTok are ready for publishing as you are probably saving it for later or you just want to consider it as part of your private collection (but remember, NEVER store sensitive videos here). Even if you are in a public account, TikTok you can still make the clip visible only to you or your friends only.

For a new video:

STEP 1: Before uploading, tap “Who can view this video”
STEP 2: Select Friends or Private

For the video that was already posted:

STEP 1: Open a video
STEP 2: Tap the three-dot icon at the bottom right
STEP 3: Select Privacy settings
STEP 4: Tap “Who can view this video”
STEP 5: Select Friends or Private

Make your TikTok account private

Let’s say you’re not ready to be discovered on TikTok yet. Then the best way is to make your account private.

STEP 1: Launch the TikTok app
STEP 2: Open the “Me” tab in the bottom right
STEP 3: Next, tap the three vertical dots in the upper right
STEP 4: Tap “Privacy and Safety”
STEP 5: Tap “Private Account”, if your profile is in Pro Account, you need to switch to a personal account to make your profile private.
STEP 6: Turn off “Suggest your account to others”

Just change this setting once you’re ready to be famous. ;)

And that sums up our tips on how to keep your TikTok account as safe and private. Like with any other social platform, always be mindful of what you share online and always safeguard your privacy.