No TikTok allowed: Delta airlines bans staff from using the app on personal devices
In a move that seems to reflect a growing pattern within the industry, Delta Airlines has recently made the decision to prohibit its employees from accessing the popular social media platform, TikTok, on their personal mobile devices.
The revelation was made over the weekend following a memo that informed some Delta employees that they were no longer permitted to use TikTok or any other software developed by the Chinese firm ByteDance, according to The Points Guy. Delta is setting the rules on the use of TikTok because many team members access their business email and other systems through their personal devices.
TikTok is presently blocked on all government devices in the U.S., thus the airline’s move is not shocking, according to Travel Noire. Congress raised objections to ByteDance disclosing American users’ data to the Chinese government, which led to the restriction in place. The TikTok ban also limits access to the popular social media app on personal devices used by employees working for the federal government under contract. Several prominent airlines fall into this category.
Chris Pohl, a Virgin Atlantic pilot and online influencer, told Simple Flying that by enforcing this policy, Delta is complying with legal obligations and giving data security a priority.
“Many companies and organizations have taken similar steps to limit or ban the use of TikTok on work-related devices,” he added.
The Points Guy also notes that the memo, which was published on Friday, is in line with a similar policy adopted by Southwest Airlines, which was first reported by Gary Leff. Although it was not immediately clear whether personal devices would still be permitted to be used to access business functions like email, Southwest informed employees that it would block the app from its network but did not appear to impose limitations on personal devices.
As of Friday night, Delta’s official TikTok channel had almost 512,000 followers, although it was unclear if the company planned to maintain the account.
Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of its developments. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached at evieblanco@detourxp.com.