Getty ImagesFollowing the ban on Tiktok in the US, phones and iPads with the Tiktok app preinstalled have been on sale, and some people seem to be buying it. Experts say it’s a security disaster waiting for it to happen.
But Trump’s orders have not actually overturned the ban. Instead, it directs the U.S. Attorney General not to enforce the law for now. And that means that some major organizations are still cautious. This includes an app store where users can download it in the first place. By protecting Americans from foreign hostile applicable application laws, it makes app stores and internet hosting services illegal to allow Tiktok to be distributed, maintained or updated.
And so far, Apple and Google have followed. In other words, you can still use Tiktok even if you have already downloaded it to your device. If not, you’re not in luck.
However, this has led to some people seeing the opportunity. Across the US, people on online marketplaces such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Esty list second-hand mobile phones with the Tiktok app pre-installed. In some cases, they are asking for more money along with what you pay for a new car. If you have money, you can choose it for yourself. The only question is how much of a digital security risk they risk.
One eBay seller who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity has a Samsung Galaxy Note9 for Grabs. It’s an older model that you would expect to sell for around $250 (about £200). However, with the Tiktok app installed, the seller is looking for $50,000 (£40,145). However, prices are negotiable. “The minimum I’d go is $15,000,” the seller says. So far, they have not seen a bid.
On Tiktok, many American users have posted a video encouraging others to install the app and try to sell older devices. A seller in the New York Facebook market says the video inspired him. “I don’t know if the app is really banned, but I’m trying to get something out of it,” the seller says. His apparently ancient iPhone is also marked $50,000. “I did that to see if I could be lucky,” he says.
A quick search on the online marketplace will help you find countless other iPhones, iPads and Android devices with Tiktoks for sale at similar prices. At least according to searching for completed items on eBay, it seems unlikely that anyone will fire five numbers, but many are already sold for a more reasonable price. However, in most cases, phones with Tiktok installed do not earn a normal price, from hundreds to just over $1,000, depending on the model. It is also worth remembering that you should not always take a completed list at face value. But they can give you an idea of where the market has landed.
The list is a funny anecdote, but actual results are at risk, according to Ryan McGrady, a researcher studying the internet at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
“You might think, ‘This is just an app,’ but people become obsessed with online services and start acting out of despair when they are suddenly taken away,” says McGrady. And where there is despair, I am sure criminals are in their advantage. “You just have to go back to the loose bird lessons,” he says.
Flappy Bird was a mobile game in which users control birds as they tried to fly between green pipes without hitting them. In 2013, Flappy Bird became a huge sensation, with developer Dong Nguyen reportedly making $50,000 (£30,467) a day. At the time, Nguyen said he couldn’t handle the stress of managing “addictive products.”
Almost immediately, the con man attacked. The phones on which Flappy Bird was installed have flooded the market, similar to the copycat app that promised to restore lost games. The problem was that many people were equipped with viruses and malware. Some apps have controlled texting on mobile phones, started texting premium phone numbers, and started paying people’s phone charges.
“Selling someone a phone they know to use all day without first wiping it off is a bad actor’s dream. Anything can be loaded on these devices,” says McGrady. “If people were willing to take risks to Flappy Bird, they would surely be able to cut the same corner to reconnect with people on Tiktok.”
Forlorn Tiktok refugees are also sure to encounter instructions online for VPNs, jailbreak techniques and other promised roads to get their app back. It’s easy to lead unsuspecting users to digital traps, says McGrady.
This is a sadly predictable outcome, especially considering what the law banning Tiktok was designed to do in the first place, he says.
The US government’s concerns about Tiktok are centered around Chinese ownership. Specifically, lawmakers warn that China could use the app to collect data or affect the content users are watching.
In the case of Tiktok, the potential problem that plagues people looking for skirts around the ban may be short-lived. On Monday, President Trump said Microsoft was in discussions to do business with Tiktok, which saves the app, and many other buyers reportedly are on the line as well. In the meantime, however, you may want to think twice before getting a $50,000 iPhone loan.
In a timely manner, sign up for Tech Decoded Newsletter for reliable tech news from global correspondents, but the Essential list offers a hand-picked selection of features and insights twice a week.
Follow the BBC’s science, technology, environmental and health stories on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
