[ad_1]
Saying that it uses data compiled by Nikkei Asia, TikTok is at the top of the list of the most downloaded applications in the world. App Annie, a mobile and app data analytics provider headquartered in San Francisco.
According to Nikkei’s analysis, TikTok jumped from the fourth most downloaded app in 2019 to the top of the list in 2020. A series following TikTok’s implementation Facebook Products that complete the five most downloaded apps in 2020, namely Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Reporter.
TikTok’s growing popularity comes as US policymakers continue to have concerns about data security due to TikTok’s China-based owners. American policymakers are concerned that US users’ data is being compromised by China’s policies involving a military-civilian fusion, which is breaking down barriers between the commercial sector, including TikTok owner ByteDance and the Chinese government.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio wrote to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker last week to demand that the airline stop its burgeoning relationship with TikTok. Earlier this month, American Airlines announced that it is working to give passengers free access to TikTok without the need to purchase in-flight Wi-Fi.
“By partnering with TikTok, American Airlines is now lending brand credibility to a company that is endangering national security and the data security of tens of millions of Americans, many of whom are underage,” Rubio wrote in the letter. “As the U.S. Government completes its investigation into the national security risks posed by the Chinese app, I urge you to suspend American Airlines’ “innovative partnership” with TikTok.”
American Airlines said that it considers the free in-flight entertainment service as an important service to its customers and tries to offer a wide range of choices.
“Based on customer feedback, it’s important for them to connect with family and friends in-flight through personal accounts on social media platforms,” American Airlines spokesperson Stacy Day said in a statement. “With that in mind, we’re working with our Wi-Fi provider to offer customers more than they want – a variety of entertainment options that currently includes TikTok. We do not share any data with TikTok through this offer, and we do not have a direct commercial relationship with the company.”
Mr Rubio wrote that the US government’s national security review of TikTok began in 2019 and is ongoing. Amid such concerns, several federal agencies banned the use of TikTok on government devices during the Trump administration, including the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and US military personnel.
The Trump administration has also sought to ban TikTok’s app after the former president signed executive orders last year to ban transactions with ByteDance, the China-based owner of TikTok.
President Biden later rescinded former President Trump’s executive orders targeting TikTok in June 2021. Mr. Biden replaced Mr. Trump’s order with new executive orders, which Mr. Biden said the White House would create a “criteria-based decision framework” to analyze the risks posed. Information and communication technology services transactions involving xenophobes such as China.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
[ad_2]
Source link