TikTok has been found to have severe security issues that allow intruders to take control of accounts. The timing is cautious, given the recent commitment to blockchain technology by ByteDance, the app’s owner, as a means to verify data.

TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, is actively examining blockchain technology, and the new security defect found on its app may accelerate its implementation and research.

A few weeks ago, it was stated that ByteDance was operating with Chinese State Media to achieve AI and blockchain into its business model. The joint venture will be named Pengpai Audiovisual Technology Co. and is supposed to cost $1.43 million, according to Bloomberg. Its center will be on security and the “digital rights of short videos.”

Although the joint venture has been exceptionally reticent, its focus on audiovisual content leads one to believe it will someday be achieved on TikTok if successful.

That change couldn’t come quickly for TikTok, as the New York Times reports that the app has come under attack for its security flaws. Hackers have been capable of hijacking private accounts through spiteful links and upload videos without the information of individual users. 

According to Oded Vanunu, head of product vulnerability research at Isreal-based cybersecurity firm Check Point, “the vulnerabilities we found were all core to TikTok’s systems.” The security flaw was found to be so critical that a significant update had to be released today.

Verifying Deepfake Content on Blockchain

However, aside from security flaws, there is another reason why TikTok is attempting into the blockchain space: as a method of verifying video content. With the recent rolling out of TikTok’s deepfake abilities to much criticism, some have declared this was a step gone too far, and that authenticity would be hard to interpret.

However, this appears to be part of the long-game for TikTok with its new blockchain alliance specifically focused on ‘digital rights,’ we could someday see a blockchain-based verification system executed on the app. This would mean that TikTok would be able to authenticate its users and offer deepfake capabilities, a first for the industry.

In short, the current controversies encircling TikTok make a strong case for the company’s shift towards blockchain technology. We already know that ByteDance is now actively working on it, and the recent events may stimulate its implementation for security’s sake.