It is one of the most downloaded apps in the world right now, but TikTok has been banned by the Australian Defence Force due to security concerns.

TikTok is a smartphone app with which users make short videos, usually around 30 seconds, often of them dancing to a particular song.

It is popular among young children and teens especially, with over 500 million active users.

SEE the TikTok Tom’s wife and daughter made here

Coming up on the program… What is TikTok? And why doesn’t the Australian Defence Department like it? It’s certainly taken over my household. Here’s my wife @EliseElliott9 with our daughter Ava. pic.twitter.com/T0BMBJek04

— Tom Elliott (@TomElliott3AW) January 16, 2020

However, the Australian Defence Force has joined the US military and the US navy by putting a ban on downloading the application on any defence-issued device.

A La Trobe University expert, Dr Stanley Shanapinda, explained to 3AW’s Tom Elliott the biggest concern is the sharing of user data.

“In this case, we know servers in Beijing are storing some of this data,” he said.

“If you bring in defence force members who are subscribed to this service, their data may be sent to Beijing and become subject to Chinese law.

“That is creating concern.”

Dr Shanapinda says the data can be used to build a profile for individual people, which includes determining their location.

Click PLAY to hear the full interview