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TSA bans employees from making TikTok videos

A number of government organizations have now clamped down on the app.

The Transport Security Administration (TSA) is the latest US government organization to ban the use of TikTok. The decision comes after New York Senator Chuck Schumer sent a letter to TSA administrator David Pekoske, in which he flagged a number of security concerns about China-owned app.

In a statement, Schumer said, "These videos sure do make you chuckle; they're creative. But China might be laughing at these TSA postings for very different reasons, and that should concern us and it's why I am urging the TSA to find a different platform, and cease its use of TikTok now." On Sunday, the TSA said that a "small number of TSA employees have previously used TikTok on their personal devices to create videos for use in TSA's social media outreach, but that practice has since been discontinued."

The move follows similar decisions by other government organizations concerned about security threats associated with the app. Back in October 2019, senators began questioning the use of the app in government capacities, stating that "TikTok is a potential counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore."

Since then, the US Army, Marines, Navy, and subsequently the Air Force and Coast Guard have all confirmed hard line restrictions on the app. TikTok's parent company ByteDance hasn't commented on any of these decisions individually, but maintains that "TikTok is committed to being a trusted and responsible corporate citizen in the US, which includes working with Congress and all relevant regulatory agencies."