United States Navy Bans TikTok

Naval members looking to make a "Hit or Miss" video over the holiday are in for some serious Christmas disappointment. This past week, the U.S. Navy banned TikTok from government-issued devices, citing cybersecurity concerns with the application.

According to post on a Facebook page for military members, serving members of the U.S. Navy have been required to remove the application from devices or they would be blocked from the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.

While the post did not specify what about the app created such concerns, The Guardian writes, "Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Uriah Orland said in a statement the order was part of an effort to 'address existing and emerging threats.'"

This would not be the first time TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, a China-based company, government officials would stress concerns over cybersecurity. In October 2019, Senator Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into the application, stressing the emerging "national security risks posed by its growing use in the United States."

In 2019, TikTok reached more than 1 billion monthly active users, but it is not without its share of controversies.

Just last month, users accused moderators of censoring content that expressed criticisms of the Chinese government. One viral post encouraged viewers to research Chinese-run Muslim concentration camps and accused the company of censorship when the video was removed and the user suspended.

TikTok, in a quick about-face, restored the video, calling the removal and the TikTok user's suspension an "error."