The e-commerce giant, Amazon, issued a statement on Friday saying that its email to employees on deleting TikTok from the phones used to access company mail was sent by an error. The company said that they aren’t making any update to their policies and that its workers can continue using the popular short-video app on their phones.
“This morning’s email to some of our employees was sent in error. There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok,” Amazon said in a statement.
The email mentioned that employees wouldn’t be able to get through their Amazon mails if they don’t delete TikTok from their phones. However, the same could be used through their laptop browser and no restriction was placed on this.
Till then, the email was read by many news agencies and they quoted the same on social media platforms. The mail which got viral read, “Due to security risk, the TikTok app is no longer permitted on mobile devices that access Amazon email. If you have TikTok on your device, you must remove it by 10-Jul to retain mobile access to Amazon email. At this time, using TikTok from your Amazon laptop browser is allowed.”
The infamous app in question is under the ownership of ByteDance Ltd, a Chinese company. It is extremely popular among today’s generation but has raised several security concerns amid the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing regarding trade, Hong Kong, and the cause of the coronavirus pandemic.
TikTok has repeatedly said it does not pose a threat to national security and has redoubled efforts lately to distance itself from its Chinese roots. The company recently named Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its new CEO.
Following reports, TikTok has ceased carrying out operations in Hong Kong due to a new national security law of China. It is made to criminalize protests over the country. This development led Google, Facebook and Twitter to stop sending user data to the Hong Kong officials.
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed the US’s plans to ban TikTok and more such Chinese apps. He warned its users that they are handing out their private information to the Chinese Communist Party.
A US national security agency has been reviewing ByteDance’s purchase of TikTok’s precursor, Musical.ly and US military branches have banned the app from government-issued phones.
Privacy groups have claimed that TikTok violates children’s privacy. This was after efforts of the Federal Trade Commission to fine the company in 2019 for storing the private data of child users, not taking into account their parents’ permission.
Troubles over the TikTok app haven’t been limited to the US as India banned 59 Chinese apps in the country earlier this month. The list of banned applications included TikTok, Shein, CleanMaster, UC Browser and many others.
