US Army bans soldiers from using TikTok over security worries

The US Army has banned the use of the hugely popular short video app TikTok by its soldiers, calling it a security threat.

The Army has joined the Navy in barring the use of the app on government-owned phones, following bipartisan calls from lawmakers for regulators and the intelligence community to determine whether the Chinese-owned app presents a threat to national security and could be used to collect American citizens' personal data. Military.com was the first to report on the decision.

"There was a Cyber Awareness Message sent out on 16 December identifies TikTok as having potential security risks associated with its use," Army spokesperson Lt. Col Robin L. Ochoa made it known that 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."

TikTok responded with a statement, saying that it stores all US user data in the United States and backs it up in Singapore.

"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. "Further, we have a dedicated technical team focused on adhering to robust cybersecurity policies, and data privacy and security practices."