TikTok stars could leave the app over privacy fears

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Some of TikTok’s top stars are apparently planning to leave the viral video app in wake of concerns surrounding users’ privacy and personal data, and are now set to join rival app Triller, instead.

TikTok has become Gen Z’s mobile application of choice, birthing a slew of influencers who have skyrocketed to stardom due to their insanely popular dance videos and lipsyncing trends.

However, in spite of its popularity, many users — and world governments — have expressed apprehension regarding the app, with India banning the site outright and countries like the United States and Australia voicing concern over its potential data-mining.

With this in mind, a few of the app’s top influencers are making plans to leave the site indefinitely and join with rival, LA-based Triller, another popular mobile app that boasts a similar premise to TikTok.

Described as a “social video community where you can show the world who you are by capturing flawless videos and sharing them in seconds,” Triller sounds like a sound alternative to TikTok — and names like Josh Richards, Noah Beck, and Anthony Reeves are making no bones about their intentions to migrate.

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“After seeing the U.S. and other countries’ governments’ concerns over TikTok — and given my responsibility to protect and lead my followers and other influencers — I followed my instincts as an entrepreneur and made it my mission to find a solution,” Richards said of his decision, as reported by the LA Times.

Griffin Johnson likewise posted a Tweet regarding the matter: “We are helping rebuild an app to be better for creators and the users. We care about your safety, and that is why Josh, Noah and I will be taking the responsibility as influencers to ensure we build a safe and user-first platform.”

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Fans’ responses to the move have been decidedly mixed; while some viewers are grateful that the group of TikTokers are taking privacy concerns seriously, others feel they are abandoning the platform that shot them to stardom and turning their backs on the communities they’ve built there.

No matter the case, it seems these influencers are dead-set on moving house — but there’s no telling what this means for TikTok’s userbase in the future.