TikTok is currently testing a new ad-targeting tool called PrivacyGo that aims to enhance data privacy protection. This tool operates like a data clean room, allowing separate parties to input their data sets and find commonalities without sharing the original source. If successful, PrivacyGo could provide marketers with deeper insights into their target audience and help them make more efficient data-led decisions for better campaign performance. It will also improve TikTok’s ad-targeting capabilities, enabling brands to reach the right people and previously untapped audiences. If TikTok is able to achieve these goals while complying with data privacy regulations, it could increase advertisers’ trust and confidence in the platform, leading to more ad spend.

PrivacyGo utilizes a form of cryptography called multi-party computation (MPC) to identify common audiences between different sets of data while ensuring that none of the parties have access to the actual data. The US Government also uses a similar approach to protect census data, which TikTok hopes will demonstrate its ability to protect user privacy. This move comes at a crucial time for TikTok as it is still under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) over data privacy concerns and allegations of data leakage to the Chinese government. If found to be in violation of data privacy regulations, TikTok could face a ban in the US.

Currently, TikTok is piloting PrivacyGo with select marketers and plans to make it more widely available in the near future. This development comes as pressure mounts on TikTok to improve its data privacy security, as evidenced by the CEO Shou Zi Chew testifying before Congress over data privacy concerns. By investing in advanced data privacy protection tools like PrivacyGo, TikTok aims to address these concerns and demonstrate its commitment to safeguarding user data.

In summary, TikTok is trialling PrivacyGo, an ad-targeting tool that offers improved data privacy protection. This technology will provide marketers with deeper insights into their target audience, enhance TikTok’s ad-targeting capabilities, and potentially increase advertisers’ trust in the platform. By utilizing multi-party computation, TikTok aims to protect user privacy while finding commonalities between data sets. As TikTok continues to face scrutiny over data privacy concerns, it is crucial for the platform to invest in tools like PrivacyGo to improve its data privacy capabilities.