x
Breaking News
More () »

Why the TikTok 'Silhouette Challenge' is causing privacy concerns

One woman posted a warning that has generated more than 113,000 likes on the social media platform.

A trend on TikTok meant to empower people to love their bodies has some worried about privacy.

The so-called "Silhouette Challenge" often shows people in their normal attire then switches to a red filter showing their silhouette.

The issue is some people have figured out how to remove that filter and expose what the person was or was not wearing under the silhouette.

One woman posted a warning about this that has generated more than 113,000 likes on the social media platform.

10TV interviewed C. Matthew Curtin, the founder of Interhack Corporation.

"Generally speaking, anytime you have social media and challenge - that equals bad idea," Curtin said. "If you downloaded a free app to do something, you are not using a product. You are the product."

Curtin said it is easy for someone to manipulate videos online because you are never fully in control of what is posted.

"Seeing something on the screen is the result of layers being used to present. So, if you have a video and its frame for example, that frame can be created by sending instructions to the receiving side saying draw the frame. The video that is being transmitted is the full video ... then it is being partially blocked, or partially overwritten, on the display side," Curtin said. "The only way that you can make sure that you don't have more than you intend to send is to make sure what you're sending is the only thing that is actually going over the wire - what you intend to frame is the only thing going across the internet. Unless you are very technical and you control the tools, that's pretty difficult to do."

TikTok told 10TV if it finds videos showing people how to remove these filters, the videos would be removed for violating community guidelines.

Before You Leave, Check This Out