Amazon employees asked to remove TikTok from phones over 'security risks' concerns

Amazon asked its employees to remove TikTok from their mobile devices on Friday, July 10. According to reports, an email sent by the company to its employees cited an unspecified ‘security risk’ as the reason for the move. Reports also state that employees cannot access their official email accounts with the app on devices.

While employees have been asked to remove TikTok from their mobile devices, they are still free to access the Chinese video-sharing platform on their Amazon laptop browser. This move by the tech giant comes at a time when TikTok is under scrutiny from multiple world governments over privacy concerns.

Read: TikTok Mulls Big Changes To Distance Itself From China Amid Mounting Criticism Worldwide

Read: TikTok Exits Hong Kong As China's Controversial National Security Law 'stings Freedom'

Pompeo cites national security

The United States has also been considering banning the TikTok app as well as other Chinese social media platforms citing a risk to American National Security.

According to reports, Mike Pompeo said that the privacy and the security of the data of Americans are of the utmost priority for the administration. He added that no one single company or organisation is being targeted and that it is about protecting American National Security.

Pompeo added that any comments made by him about any specific app or organisation were spoken in a larger context of how America is evaluating the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

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Australia is also considering a ban on the TikTok app by Chinese developers over security concerns. Several Australian legislators have expressed their concern over privacy issues and the possibility of Chinese government having access to users' data.

However, TikTok has constantly refuted such allegations pertaining to the Chinese government's access to the user's data. TikTok was banned in India last week.

Read: Facebook Launches Instagram Reels For Short-form Video Content Just Days After TikTok Ban