The app, known for its quirky 15-second videos, is hugely popular in India.
Angela Lang / CNET
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TikTok, the popular video sharing app known for its quirky 15-second videos, continued to grow rapidly in the first quarter, despite concerns that users are compromising their privacy by using the app. The app was downloaded more than 2 billion times The analytics company Sensor Tower from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store reported on Wednesday, just five months after it exceeded 1.5 billion downloads.
The sensor tower led much of the recent surge in popularity to the Corona virus Pandemic that has driven more consumers to their mobile devices to connect with others during quarantines and social distancing efforts. TikTok is most popular in India, which accounts for 30.3% of downloads, followed by China (9.7%) and the United States (8.2%).
TikTok is a social media app where users, mostly teenagers and young adults, publish videos up to 15 seconds long that are often synced to music. The app belongs to the Chinese company ByteDance. Currently the most valuable startup in the world.
However, the app has been examined more closely in recent months. U.S. lawmakers have blamed the app for national security threats, and the Army and Navy have banned the app from government devices.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.