DNC and RNC Warn Campaigns About Using TikTok

The Democratic and Republican national committees have warned their staffs about using the Chinese-owned app TikTok. From a report: The Democratic National Committee warned Democratic campaigns, committees and state parties Friday to take additional security precautions when using TikTok. In the email, the DNC security team wrote, “We continue to advise campaign staff to refrain from using TikTok on personal devices. If you are using TikTok for campaign work, we recommend using a separate phone and account.” Republican National Committee national press secretary Mandi Merritt said Saturday the RNC had longstanding guidance on TikTok. “The RNC has advised employees and stakeholders to not download the TikTok app on their personal devices,” she said, citing “security concerns.” The DNC had suggested to campaigns in a memo in December not to use TikTok, citing concerns about the app’s “Chinese ties and potentially sending data back to the Chinese government.”