“… kind of like how users of gmail, yahoo, and any other email provider can communicate with each other.”

I find this comparison helpful when explaining it to people

Tiktok probably generated a unique link to the video just for you when you shared it so that whomever the recipient is will know that you shared it. And then your friend opened said link and tiktok connected the dots and linked the accounts in a DM with the video. Pretty easy for them to do on their end, and they probably see it as a convenient feature to users.

Also, lost fedditors

And if not teaching in the traditional academic/classroom setting, at least spread awareness about why privacy is important, why one should care, and what can be done to protect one’s privacy to friends/family/others who will listen

skunk like skunks