US Army bans TikTok on military devices, signalling growing concern about app’s Chinese roots

It follows a ban from the US Navy and a ‘cyber awareness’ message from the Defence Department urging the Pentagon’s 23,000 employees to uninstall the app because it could potentially expose personal data to ‘unwanted actors’.

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TikTok app has been banned by the US Army. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30am, 1 Jan 2020Updated: 7:07pm, 16 Feb 2020

The US Army has banned military personnel from using the popular video app TikTok on government-issued phones, following guidance from the Pentagon and highlighting growing tensions over the app’s Beijing-based parent firm.

An Army spokeswoman told Military.com in an interview released this week that the app was “considered a cyber threat” and not allowed on government-issued devices. An Army spokeswoman told The Washington Post on Tuesday that the service branch was adhering to directions from the Defence Department, which flagged the app for “potential security risks.”

The measure follows a similar ban from the US Navy and a “cyber awareness” message earlier in December from the Defence Department that which urged the Pentagon’s roughly 23,000 employees to uninstall the app because it could potentially expose personal data to “unwanted actors”.

A Pentagon spokesman said the threat is related to potential loss of personally identifiable information but would not provide further detail. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.