Military grapples with Chinese social media app TikTok’s security amid growing popularity

TikTok user @Shreddedphotog’s dance with a banana to the sounds of “This Is How We Do It” garnered some attention last month on the video-sharing app, but it was a six-second clip of him flexing his bulging biceps that went viral.

“You are so into yourself,” says a woman he hadn’t noticed entering the room, and @Shreddedphotog – also known as Marine Sgt. David Bickel — flashes an embarrassed grin that has earned him 1.6 million views.

The clips show a lighter side of the Marine Corps on an app that has grown in popularity with young people who might someday think about signing up. But TikTok’s Chinese ownership has some lawmakers and military officials concerned that it could be used to gather intelligence on Americans.

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