Wells Fargo tells employees to delete TikTok from work phones

Wells Fargo has ordered a group of employees to delete TikTok from their work phones over concerns about the Chinese-owned app’s practices when it comes to privacy and security.

The financial services company said in a statement to The Hill on Monday that it “identified a small number of Wells Fargo employees with corporate-owned devices who had installed the TikTok application on their device.”

“Due to concerns about TikTok’s privacy and security controls and practices, and because corporate-owned devices should be used for company business only, we have directed those employees to remove the app from their devices,” the company said.

A TikTok spokesperson told The Hill that it has not been in communication with Wells Fargo.

“But as with any organization that has concerns, we are open to engaging with them constructively and sharing the actions we take to protect data security for our users,” the spokesperson said. “Our hope is that whatever concerns Wells Fargo may have can be answered through transparent dialogue so that their employees can continue to participate in and benefit from our community.”

The move from the company comes as TikTok, a short-form video platform popular among teens, faces growing scrutiny from lawmakers and businesses in the U.S. over its handling of user data. The announcement also came after Amazon on Friday sent an email to employees asking them to delete TikTok from their phones, before backtracking just hours later.

“There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Hill, adding that the email was sent in “error.”