Amazon tells employees to take TikTok off their phones: report

Update: In a new statement, Amazon now says the statement was sent “in error” and TikTok is not banned for Amazon employees.

Amazon no longer lets its workers have TikTok on their cellphones or any other devices used to access their Amazon email, the New York Times reports.

The online shopping giant has security concerns about the social-networking app. The deadline to delete it is today.

Amazon staffers are still allowed to access TikTok from their laptop browsers, according to an internal email the Times saw.

Reached for comment, a TikTok spokesperson said Amazon’s reason for the move was unclear.

“User security is of the utmost importance to TikTok—we are fully committed to respecting the privacy of our users,” TikTok told Fast Company in an email. “While Amazon did not communicate to us before sending their email and we still do not understand their concerns, we welcome a dialogue so we can address any issues they may have and enable their team to continue participating in our community. We’re proud that tens of millions of Americans turn to TikTok for entertainment, inspiration, and connection, including many of the Amazon employees and contractors who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic.”

Amazon could not be reached immediately for comment about the ban.

In the early days of TikTok, Amazon Prime Video was an advertiser, The Information pointed out.

TikTok, wildly popular with young users, is owned by China-based ByteDance and has faced increasing attention from security-conscious governments in recent months. India has banned the app and the Trump administration—worried about the potential threat to national security—has said it’s considering doing so in the United States.