Amazon mistakenly tells workers to delete TikTok from phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon said it mistakenly sent workers an email telling them to delete the TikTok mobile application from their mobile phones due to security concerns.

The internal message told workers they could still access the popular video-snippet sharing platform using laptop web browsers but would lose access to company email on smartphones that have TikTok.

“This morning’s email to some of our employees was sent in error,” an Amazon spokesperson told a news agency. “There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok.”

The internal message expressed concern appeared to be that the TikTok mobile app could access Amazon company email.

“User security is of the utmost importance to TikTok -– we are fully committed to respecting the privacy of our users,” a spokeswoman for the company said. She added that TikTok welcomed “a dialogue so we can address any issues they may have.”

The Democratic National Committee is advising campaign staff to avoid using TikTok on personal devices, or keep the app on a smartphone separate from that used for work, given the amount of data it can track.

TikTok this week withdrew from Hong Kong after a controversial new security law to distancing itself as being a company controlled by China and shares data with the Chinese government.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. With its rising popularity in the United States, TikTok has also come under increasing scrutiny from the government here.

US President Donald Trump said this week he was considering banning it as a way to punish China over the coronavirus pandemic.

Top US lawmakers have raised concerns over the potential for TikTok to leak user data to the Chinese government.TikTok staunchly denies snooping allegations.

India recently blocked the platform on national security grounds following a deadly border clash between its soldiers and Chinese forces.