US Army bans Chinese-owned application TikTok over security concerns

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose product competes with TikTok particularly for younger users, has also criticized the app over censorship concerns.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Tik Tok logos are seen on smartphones in front of displayed ByteDance logo in this illustration (photo credit: REUTERS)
Tik Tok logos are seen on smartphones in front of displayed ByteDance logo in this illustration
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The United States Army has banned the video sharing social networking app TikTok on government owned phones, categorizing the service a security threat - following the United States Navy's example in December, according to CNN.
Many sitting US politicians have scrutinized TikTok and are looking to to determine if the Chinese-owned app can be used to collect the personal data of American citizens. They say that TikTok could be forced "to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party."
"There was a Cyber Awareness Message sent out on 16 December, identifying TikTok as having potential security risks associated with its use," Army spokesperson Lt. Col Robin L. Ochoa told CNN. "The message directs appropriate action for employees to take in order to safeguard their personal information. The guidance is to be wary of applications you download, monitor your phones for unusual and unsolicited texts etc., and delete them immediately and uninstall TikTok to circumvent any exposure of personal information."
Two weeks prior to this announcement, the US Navy banned the social media app TikTok from government-issued mobile devices, saying the popular short video app represented a "cybersecurity threat."
"Our data centers are located entirely outside of China, and none of our data is subject to Chinese law," the company said at the time, according to CNN. "Further, we have a dedicated technical team focused on adhering to robust cybersecurity policies, and data privacy and security practices."
Even though TikTok executives refused to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the company stated that they "remain committed to working productively with Congress as it looks at how to secure the data of American users, protect their privacy, promote free expression, ensure competition and choice among internet platforms, and preserve US national security interests."
A bulletin issued by the Navy in December, showed up on a Facebook page serving military members, saying users of government issued mobile devices who had TikTok and did not remove the app would be blocked from the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
The Navy would not describe in detail what dangers the app presents, but Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Uriah Orland said in a statement the order was part of an effort to "address existing and emerging threats."
TikTok did not return a request for comment at the time.
Last month, US Army cadets were previously instructed not to use TikTok preceding Monday's announcement, after Senator Chuck Schumer raised security concerns about the army using TikTok in their recruiting.
A Navy spokesman said naval and marine personnel who use government issued smart devices are generally allowed to use popular commercial apps, including common social media apps, but from time to time specific programs that present security threats are banned. He would not give examples of apps that are allowed or those considered unsafe.
The Pentagon's Orland said the "Cyber Awareness Message" sent Dec. 16 "identifies the potential risk associated with using the TikTok app and directs appropriate action for employees to take in order to safeguard their personal information."
In November, The US government launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co’s $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly, according to three people familiar with the matter - causing many of the government's entities to place distrust within the application.
While the $1 billion acquisition was completed two years ago, US lawmakers have been calling in recent weeks for a national security probe into TikTok, concerned the Chinese company may be censoring politically sensitive content, and raising questions about how it stores personal data. 
TikTok has been growing more popular among US teenagers at a time of growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology transfers. About 60% of TikTok’s 26.5 million monthly active users in the United States are between the ages of 16 and 24, the company said this year.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks, has started to review the Musical.ly deal, the sources said. TikTok did not seek clearance from CFIUS when it acquired Musical.ly, they added, which gives the U.S. security panel scope to investigate it now.
CFIUS is in talks with TikTok about measures it could take to avoid divesting the Musical.ly assets it acquired, the sources said. Details of those talks, referred to by CFIUS as mitigation, could not be learned. The specific concerns that CFIUS has could also not be learned.
The sources requested anonymity because CFIUS reviews are confidential.
“While we cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes, TikTok has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S. Part of that effort includes working with Congress, and we are committed to doing so,” a TikTok spokesperson said. ByteDance did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
“By law, information filed with CFIUS may not be disclosed by CFIUS to the public,” said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department, which chairs CFIUS. She added that Treasury “does not comment on information relating to specific CFIUS cases, including whether or not certain parties have filed notices for review.”
TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. The company has said US user data is stored in the United States, but the senators noted that ByteDance is governed by Chinese laws.
TikTok also says China does not have jurisdiction over content of the app, which does not operate in China and is not influenced by any foreign government.
Last month, Musical.ly founder Alex Zhu, who heads the TikTok team, started to report directly to ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming, one of the sources said. He previously reported to Zhang Nan, the head of ByteDance’s Douyin, a Chinese short video app. It was not clear whether this move, which separates TikTok organizationally from ByteDance’s other holdings, was related to the company’s discussions with CFIUS over mitigation.
In October, US senator Marco Rubio asked CFIUS to review ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly. He cited questions about why TikTok had “only had a few videos of the Hong Kong protests that have been dominating international headlines for months.”
After the Reuters story of the CFIUS investigation appeared, Rubio tweeted: “Any platform owned by a company in China which collects massive amounts of data on Americans is a potential serious threat to our country.”
US Senator Josh Hawley said in a tweet that TikTok should testify at a hearing scheduled next week about technology companies putting consumer data at risk in China.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose product competes with TikTok particularly for younger users, has also criticized the app over censorship concerns.
TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. The company has said US user data is stored in the United States, but the senators noted that ByteDance is governed by Chinese laws.
TikTok also says China does not have jurisdiction over content of the app, which does not operate in China and is not influenced by any foreign government.
Last month, Musical.ly founder Alex Zhu, who heads the TikTok team, started to report directly to ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming, one of the sources said. He previously reported to Zhang Nan, the head of ByteDance’s Douyin, a Chinese short video app. It was not clear whether this move, which separates TikTok organizationally from ByteDance’s other holdings, was related to the company’s discussions with CFIUS over mitigation.
In October, US senator Marco Rubio asked CFIUS to review ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly. He cited questions about why TikTok had “only had a few videos of the Hong Kong protests that have been dominating international headlines for months.”
After the Reuters story of the CFIUS investigation appeared, Rubio tweeted: “Any platform owned by a company in China which collects massive amounts of data on Americans is a potential serious threat to our country.”
US Senator Josh Hawley said in a tweet that TikTok should testify at a hearing scheduled next week about technology companies putting consumer data at risk in China.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose product competes with TikTok particularly for younger users, has also criticized the app over censorship concerns.


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