TSA to Employees: Stop Using TikTok

The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday it has stopped allowing employees to use the China-owned video app TikTok to create social media posts for the agency after the Senate’s top Democrat raised concerns about potential national security issues. Sen. Chuck Schumer sent a letter Saturday to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, months after news reports that the US government launched a national security review of the app, which is popular with millions of US teens and young adults, the AP reports. Schumer also cited a Department of Homeland Security policy prohibiting TikTok on agency devices. He also noted in the letter that Chinese laws compel companies to cooperate with China’s government and intelligence collection.

The TSA said in a statement Sunday 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." In his letter, Schumer said national security experts have raised concerns about TikTok’s collection and handling of user data and personal information, locations, and other content. The agency said it never directed viewers to TikTok or published content directly to the platform, despite videos reposted on other TSA social media accounts having the TikTok logo in the bottom of the screen. The videos include musical parodies about what can and cannot be brought on an aircraft.