AMAZON’S TIKTOK EMAIL ‘SENT IN ERROR’

Amazon on Friday asked its employees to delete video sharing app TikTok off their mobile devices due to security concerns but later backpedaled on the request.

Amazon, which has over 840,000 employees worldwide, gave its employees until next Friday to remove the app from mobile devices with access to an Amazon email account or be blocked from accessing those accounts on the device, according to an email to employees obtained by The New York Times.

Amazon reversed the decision later in the day on Friday, with a spokesperson telling “The Hill” that the email “was sent in error. There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok.”

A spokesperson for TikTok told “The Hill” that Amazon did not tell the social media company about its request prior to sending out the email to employees.

“User security is of the utmost importance to TikTok – we are fully committed to respecting the privacy of our users,” the spokesperson said. “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.”

The spokesperson added that “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.”

TikTok has come under close scrutiny over the past week following Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement that the Trump administration is considering banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.