HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

Online Data Privacy is the Best Policy: The Data Privacy Attitude and Practices of

Tiktok Users in Angeles City

In Partial Fulfillment to the

Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Arts in

Communication

SUBMITTED BY:

Baria, Chalijah

Silver Bondoc,

Phoebe Garcia,

Trisha

Paglinawan, Elrana Reem

Taruc, Ma. Kristina

Cassandra SUBMITTED

TO:

Dr. Edgar Delalamon

HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY
February 13, 2023
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

Background and Rationale

The Internet is one of the rapidly developing technologies that is always changing in order to

improve communication exchanges and information sharing. According to Ani Petrosyan

(2023), Approximately 4.9 billion are using the internet worldwide in 2021 that means, over

two thirds of the world’s population has access to the internet .With the fast-growing internet,

a variety of mobile applications quickly emerged and the number of apps continues to expand

in order to meet people's demands and Tiktok is one of the applications that continuously

arises. Hence, as stated on its website (2019), Tiktok serves as a platform for young people to

express their creativity, be inspired, and have fun by producing, sharing, and finding short

videos that feature singing, dancing, and lip-syncing. TikTok is extremely popular among

young people and has evolved into a means of free and artistic self-expression for many. As

reported by Kristopher M. Ngilangil (2022), with "2.6 billion active monthly users by the

beginning of 2021," in relation to Chinese tech company ByteDance, and "brought in $17.4

billion in advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2020 alone," it has become the most

popular app since its launch in 2016. What makes the app unique is the first short video app

that promoted music; it allows users to choose songs and record 15-second music videos of

their own to release. Furthermore, the feature makes it simpler for users to browse the app;

all users are required to do is scroll up and down to access the uploaded Tiktok content,

which is an infinite scroll. While the big data algorithm that was used to make the Tiktok is

more advanced than the other apps is even more interesting. It tracks user browsing patterns

and interests to choose the content that will show up on your individual, customized page

(ForYouPage). According to Christina Newberry (2023), Algorithms are a key way social

networks draw users

 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

in and keep users paying attention. TikTok doesn’t want spammers and other shady

characters to be able to game the algorithm to get more attention than they deserve. This has

the effect of giving everyone a chance to become viral and influencers are given a much

opportunity to be discovered which increases the Tiktok app’s buzz in the business world.

With all of the benefits provided by the platform, comes with the users’ data privacy

being compromised. Research revealed that out of seven applications: Tiktok, Facebook,

Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, Amazon, and Robinhood, Tiktok appeared to monitor

keystrokes and more activity than the rest (Nieva, 2022). Tiktok collects search and browsing

histories, keystroke patterns, draft messages, and biometric identifiers such as face prints

which researchers reported might be used in unrelated facial recognition and technology

voiceprints (Abraham, 2022). In 2022, Tiktok paid $92 million to settle a class action lawsuit

over alleged privacy violations which is wrongfully collecting biometric information and

private data from its users and disclosing it to third parties (Megassauer, 2022). Despite how

invasive Tiktok can be with its users’ data, billions of their users continue to use their

application. A survey conducted by Startpage revealed that 72% of respondents reported that

they’re very or extremely concerned about their online privacy. However, 17% admitted to

have taken no action to protect their personal online data (Security Magazine, 2021).

Phenomenons namely privacy inertia and privacy paradox explain the reason behind

such behavior and are supported by The Theory of Planned Behavior, Rational Choice

Theory, and Privacy Calculus Theory. The purpose of this study is to identify the

researchers’ respondents’ data privacy attitudes and practices, and the correlation between

data privacy attitudes and data privacy practices.

 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

Theoretical Framework

The Theory of Planned Behavior, Rational Choice Theory, and Privacy Calculus

Theory were the theories the researchers decided to apply. The Theory of Planned Behavior

(TBP) which was an extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action is a theory developed by

Azjen (1985). According to the theory of planned behavior, performance of a behavior is a

joint function of intentions and perceived behavioral control. For accurate prediction, several

conditions have to be met. First, the measures of intention and of perceived behavioral

control must correspond to (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977) or be compatible with (Ajzen, 1988)

the behavior that is to be predicted.

The idea described how people behaved in terms of their capacity for discipline and

how they viewed the intended consequence. In addition, (Brookes, 2021) stated that TBP has

three models, personal attitudes, this establishes a viewpoint on a specific action, such as

making sure their data privacy is protected in Tiktok, subjective norms, where it takes into

account how others may see a particular conduct, such as how others are contributing to the

protection of personal data privacy, and lastly, perceived behavioral control, It occurs when a

person thinks they have control over their actions and are cognizant of the extent to which

their personal information is protected online.

In addition, according to Nickerson's (2021) Rational Choice Theory, people weigh

the advantages and disadvantages of several options before making a decision. The perceived

costs, risks, and benefits of a certain course of action can vary according to the individual.

According to rational choice theory, people use logical calculations to make rational

selections that take into account the costs, liabilities, and advantages of their options.

This theory is
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

predicated on the idea that people have the freedom to make their own decisions such as The

Data Privacy Attitudes and Practices of Tiktok Users in Angeles City.

One of the fundamental theories behind privacy behavior research is the privacy

calculus theory, which Laufer and Wolfe initially proposed in 1977. It is based on the social

contract theory and the social exchange theory in social psychology and the utility

maximization theory in economics. The theory of privacy calculus provides a framework for

comprehending user privacy decisions in the context of technology. It highlights how

people's perceptions of privacy vary depending on the benefits they anticipate from

disclosing their personal information. With regards to TikTok users, this theory is

particularly relevant as the app has been under intense scrutiny for its data privacy policies

and practices. Thus, when it comes to TikTok, users must assess the risks associated with

sharing information versus the potential benefits, such as access to content, networking

opportunities, and so on. As an example, some users might be willing to share more

information if they can receive more tailored content, while others might choose to be more

cautious with their data.

The theory suggests that users make decisions based on a cost-benefit analysis of the

risks and rewards associated with revealing personal information. Privacy calculus theory

also sees people's privacy concerns as an exchange of interests in certain aspects through

disclosing personal information in the context of trade-off analysis between costs and profits.

Studies have shown that when people consider the benefits and risks of disclosing personal

information, they may be more willing to do so if they believe that the overall financial gain

will be greater than, or at least equal to, the perceived risk. While any disclosure activity

entails
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

the loss of personal information, people are more likely to accept such losses if there is

sufficient financial gain to outweigh the risk.

Furthermore, the theory also suggests that individuals are not always rational in their

privacy decisions, as factors such as emotions, trust, and norms may play a role. Thus, even

if the risks of sharing personal information are high, users may still decide to do so if they

have a strong emotional connection to the platform or trust the company to keep their data

safe. In the context of Stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR), organism response refers

to an individual's thought and feeling processes as well as their attitude or behavioral

response after being stimulated by their surrounding environment. Whereas emotional

response describes how people feel when they are exposed to environmental stimulation,

whereas cognitive response describes how people think when they are exposed to such

stimulation. Based on the study of the SOR framework by Zhang et al and Liu et al’s (2022),

there are three technological stimuli factors—perceived interactivity, personalization, and

sociability—affect users' virtual experiences and subsequent willingness to engage in social

business and this framework therefore appears to be appropriate for the investigation of user

privacy disclosure behavior intentions. Moreover, given that environmental factors have a

significant impact on how users behave, the SOR framework offers a precise and structured

way to assess how external environmental stimuli affect users' internal psychological

components before assessing the impact of users' intention to disclose privacy. As a result,

we apply this model to user behavior in an effort to reflect how interaction influences Tiktok

users' psychological motivation for privacy disclosure behavior through privacy calculus.
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

In addition to that, according to the theory, external elements like governmental

guidelines or business standards may have an impact on users' privacy choices. As a result, if

the government has put in place rules that safeguard their rights, users of TikTok may be

more likely to share their data. Similar to this, users may be more willing to share their data

if user privacy is protected as the industry standard and they are confident it is secure.

Overall, the privacy calculus theory offers a helpful framework for comprehending

user choices regarding the privacy of their data on TikTok. It implies that users must weigh

the benefits and risks of disclosing personal information and that their choices may be

influenced by outside variables like laws and social norms.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1: The Conceptual Framework of The Data Privacy Attitudes and Practices of Tiktok Users in

Angeles City
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

In this study, data privacy was examined as the independent variable while attitudes

and practices were the dependent variable of Tiktok users in Angeles City. Furthermore, the

main goal of this study is to demonstrate the output of the correlation between Tiktok users'

attitudes and practices towards data privacy. Numerous social media programs that are

utilized every day allow for the access, sharing, and sale of personal information about

individuals. According to Yeh et al., (2018), concerns regarding information privacy are

rising as a result of the accessibility of a lot of users’ personal, financial, and location data.

Moreover, Zulkifli (2022), said that it is without a doubt that TikTok gathers more data than

the majority of other social media platforms. In addition, Tiktok gathers data on users who

download the app and use the platform even without creating an account. (Tiktok, 2023).

Statement of the Problem

This study would like to assess the correlation between tiktok users' attitudes and practices

specifically in Angeles City towards data privacy. On top of that, the researchers seek to

pursue the following questions and objectives:

1. How may the respondents’ attitudes and practices be described towards data privacy?

2. Does the respondents’ attitudes have an impact on their practices on data privacy?

3. What are the implications of the results towards the effectiveness of data privacy?

4. What problem lies in the lack of protective practices on their data privacy and how
can an information advertisement push them to take action on protecting their
data?
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human
Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t

C. (n.d.). Rational Choice Theory - Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/rational-choice-theory.html
Brookes, E. (2021, July 21). The Theory of Planned Behavior - Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-planned-behavior.html
C. (n.d.-b). Rational Choice Theory - Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/rational-choice-theory.html

Zhu, X.; Cao, Q.; Liu, C. Mechanism of Platform Interaction on Social Media Users’ Intention
to Disclose Privacy: A Case Study of Tiktok APP. (2022)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363926836

Petrosyan, Ani (2023, January 03) Internet usage worldwide - Statistics & Facts
https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/?fbclid=IwAR3_1bSO-
SoMZla9IPyMeRsp85E0SHRJkpt_2DqKnOZmyRMYUSt5LknabQ4#topicOverview

Newberry, Christina(2023 February, 08) 2023 TikTok Algorithm Explained + Tips to Go

Viral https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok- algorithm/?
fbclid=IwAR0QWQjbR99x_5Q9ca9NFV1hjQ9SJWaNqtkszJ7aFoabhn3UvdnILZ qAq_w

Ngilangil, Kristopher (2022, August 03 )Tiktok on SNSU Students: Engagement and

Influencehttps://ijels.com/upload_document/issue_files/22IJELS-107202228- Tiktok.pdf?
fbclid=IwAR3dL4nk8SAMxYdtEdED19PYgn72tGAOHYZcuh- Tk7nGxH7pL3uu9Ugvpzg
 HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

McGarrigle, J. (2021, August 10). What is Tik Tok (formally musical.ly)? Webwise.ie.
https://www.webwise.ie/parents/explained-tiktok/

Abraham, E. (2022, July 1). Here's what data Tiktok collects from its users. indy100.
Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/tiktok-data-access-
china-us

Nieva, R. (2022, November 28). TikTok's in-app browser includes code that can monitor
your keystrokes, researcher says. Forbes. Retrieved
January 26, 2023, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardnieva/2022/08/18/tiktok-in-app-browser- research/?
sh=4af5057c7c55

Meggsauer, M. (2022, October 28). Some TikTok users are receiving $167 checks over data
privacy violations-and Google and Snapchat could be next. CNBC. Retrieved February 12,
2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/28/tiktok-users-paid-over-privacy-violations-
google-snap-could-be-next.html

Yeh, et al. (2018). The Effect of Privacy Perception on Social Media on Attitude
Towards Social Media Usage. DerjiPark Journals. Retrieved February 12, 2023 from
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1893176

Zulkifli, A. (2022, June). Tiktok in 2022: Revisiting Data and Privacy. IEEE Computer
Society Digital Library. Retrieved February 12,
2023, from
https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/co/2022/06/09789294/1DZ8aACAWZi

Tiktok (2023, January 1). Summary. Tiktok page. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from
https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/row/privacy-policy/en