Sorry U.S. Navy officers that have been enjoying the short-form mobile video app TikTok. It looks like you will not be able to use the app anymore on any of your government-issued devices as it is officially banned by the U.S. Navy. While specific details have not been provided, the app has been labeled as a “cybersecurity threat” and users who do not comply will have their devices blocked from the Intranet. This is just the latest in the U.S. government’s ongoing suspicion of Chinese-owned companies.
According to Reuters, the U.S. Navy issued a bulletin last Tuesday on a Facebook page that is serving military members. It informs users of government-issued mobile devices that the TikTok app, owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance will have to be removed from their phones. If they do not so, they will not be able to use their devices on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. Aside from saying it’s a cybersecurity threat, they did not specify the reason for this.
Pentagon Spokesman Lieutenant Uriah Orland said that this move is part of their effort to “address existing and emerging threats”. The hugely popular app has actually been under close scrutiny as the U.S. government is suspecting that it’s sharing private information of its users to the Chinese government for one reason or another. ByteDance is now under investigation a well for its $1 billion acquisition of another popular app, Musical.ly.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer previously called the attention of the U.S. Army about using TikTok as a recruitment tool, since it’s very popular with teenagers and young people. But the senator says there are security concerns about the app and so they should stop using it for both recruitment and personal use. A Navy spokesman said that every once in a while, there are apps that are banned for this particular concern but didn’t specify which are forbidden.
TikTok has not responded yet to this story but it is sure to be an ongoing concern with the company since those in the U.S. are among their biggest user base. We’re guessing the continued suspicion over Chinese-owned apps and devices will not abate soon.
