Social-Media
Biden's workers should delete TikTok from their personal and work smartphones.
Democratic Joe Biden 's presidential campaign staff must remove TikTok from their personal and work phones, the campaign official told The Verge. That's because of security issues about the famous app.
TikTok can view iOS clipboard material for users — possibly a issue for those using a password manager to sign in to protected accounts. Many lawmakers are especially suspicious of TikTok since the video-sharing service is operated by Bytedance, a Chinese internet firm.
The strategy of the Biden team, first stated by Bloomberg, parallels that of other US government leaders. The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy have also banned TikTok from government-issued computers, and the Democratic and Republican National Committees have warned against using the software. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on 6 July that the White House was considering a ban on the social media app. On July 15, President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, said that restrictions on the app could come in "weeks, not months."
Suspicion of TikTok's snooping is not limited to the US government. India blocked TikTok — and a host of other Chinese-based devices, including WeChat — on June 29. Wells Fargo also banned workers from using TikTok on client accounts. Amazon sent an email telling workers to delete TikTok from their phones on July 10th — then later that day said the email was sent "in mistake."
Notwithstanding vigilance and bans, it is not obvious whether TikTok is storing data in a manner that is distinct from other social media devices. On July 13, a company representative told The Verge that "[w]e have never submitted user data to the Chinese government, nor will we do so if asked."
