{"id":32701,"date":"2019-11-12T19:01:24","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T19:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/12\/senator-asks-army-secretary-why-recruiters-are-using-chinese-owned-social-media-apps\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:54:51","slug":"senator-asks-army-secretary-why-recruiters-are-using-chinese-owned-social-media-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2019\/11\/12\/senator-asks-army-secretary-why-recruiters-are-using-chinese-owned-social-media-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator asks Army secretary why recruiters are using Chinese-owned social media apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The top Senate Democrat wants answers from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy by Dec. 6 regarding the use of Chinese social media apps among soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to McCarthy on Thursday asking whether the Army consulted, or plans to consult, with intelligence officials and the Department of Homeland Security about the use of apps like TikTok as platforms for recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schumer also asked McCarthy whether the Army has \u201cconducted an analysis of alternative recruiting platforms prior to its decision to leverage TikTok?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questions come as the Army unveils plans for a new advertising campaign that aims to use digital analytics and social media platforms<\/a> to target and recruit young people who show an interest in skills relevant to military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I recognize that the Army must adapt its recruiting techniques in order to attract young Americans to serve, I urge you to assess the potential national security risks posed by China-owned technology companies before choosing to utilize certain platforms,\u201d Schumer wrote in his letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Army Recruiting Command, or USAREC, said it continuously reminds soldiers to remain vigilant about the risks of sharing personal information and data over social media, a warning that extends to TikTok. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccording to USAREC, recruiters are allowed to use various platforms to create awareness and connect with today\u2019s youth but they are taught not to discuss any personally identifiable information (PII) over any social media platform,\u201d Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa told Army Times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen PII needs to be discussed, they must move to email, phone of face-to-face for personal discussion,” Ochoa added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media has long been under public scrutiny over the massive amounts of personal data<\/a> that can be harvested from users, often without them fully aware.<\/p>\n\n\n\t