The commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, is urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores due to security risks. On June 24, Carr sent a letter to the CEOs of the two companies warning about the Chinese-owned video sharing app after a new report found it poses “serious national security threats”. The report by BuzzFeed News cites leaked recordings revealing that ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok, has been repeatedly collecting massive amounts of personal and sensitive data from US users, which is being accessed by officials on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
The FCC commissioner noted that TikTok collects search and browsing history, location data, metadata, biometrics – such as fingerprint mapping, facial recognition, retina scans, keystroke dynamics, voiceprints, and data from drafts, texts, images, videos, and more.
Due to security risk concerns, organizations such as US military branches and the TSA have banned TikTok. Many US businesses, like Wells Fargo, are banning it from company devices as well.
As always, keeping your company secure is fundamental to us at Merit Technologies, so you can rest assured that we are providing the best protection for your business. If any of your devices, especially those with any corporate data, currently has TikTok installed, we do recommend removing the app. If you have any questions or concerns, or need help with security measures you can take, please contact us.
