Amazon.com bans, then un-bans TikTok app from employee mobile devices

July 11 ( REUTERS) - In the span of a few hours on Friday, Amazon. com Inc banned and then unbanned the TikTok video sharing app from employee mobile devices.

The news generated widespread attention for the Chineseowned social media platform coming the same week U. S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is “certainly looking at” banning TikTok, suggesting it shared information with the Chinese government.

It was not immediately clear what led to the initial ban by Amazon. One person familiar with the matter said senior Amazon executives were unaware of the request to delete TikTok from employee devices.

The ban was reversed after TikTok and Amazon representatives discussed the matter, according to an email sent to TikTok employees.

Earlier this week, Wells Fargo sent a note to employees who had installed TikTok on company-owned mobile devices telling them to remove the app.

The attention underscores the hotseat that TikTok's owner, China- based ByteDance, has found itself in over recent days.

The Chinese ownership of TikTok, among the fastest growing digital platforms ever, has come under heavy scrutiny on issues including their handling of user data. India banned TikTok and other Chinese apps in June.