David Beckham to be face of TikTok Christmas campaign: Report
The app is under pressure for allegedly transferring private user data to servers in China
Former global soccer superstar David Beckham is reportedly starring in TikTok's Christmas campaign.
The father of four will become the face of the project as part of his relationship with UNICEF and 7 Fund, which is slated to be released in mid-December, according to the Daily Mail citing sources it declined to identify.
The short-form video app dubbed a "social media sensation" has seemingly provided solace for those who miss the days of Vine. Since its inception in 2016, it has surpassed a billion downloads on the App Store and Google Play, according to mobile research firm Sensor Tower, which said it continues to be one of the world’s most popular apps.
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As of early November, the app has garnered 614 million downloads, according to estimates by Sensor Tower.
Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images
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On the app, users share short videos, often set to music. They lip-sync and dance to songs, do silly pranks and share other bits of their lives. It's searchable by user names, songs and hashtags, like "thisishalloween" or "tiktokcats." Sources told the Daily Mail that the 44-year-old will now get his chance to partake in the fun and his kids are "excited" to see him.
"David was really keen to partner up with TikTok. His kids love using the app and even Victoria got involved with a Spice Girls routine on Romeo's profile," a source close to Beckham told Daily Mail. "The campaign is going to be fun and Christmassy and will hopefully see David give lip-syncing a go."
Beckham's reported partnership with the social media app comes during a tumultuous time for the company, which is owned by Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. This week news broke that a college student in California is accusing the company of transferring private user data to servers in China, according to Reuters.
TikTok has not immediately responded to FOX Business' request for comment.
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Earlier this month, multiple published reports say that the U.S. government has launched a national security review of the app.
The reports from Reuters, The New York Times and others said that the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews acquisitions by foreign firms, has opened an inquiry into TikTok owner ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of a predecessor app, Musical.ly. Several senators have recently noted concerns about censorship and data collection on TikTok.
In regards to those reports, TikTok said it cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes. But it said it "has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S. Part of that effort includes working with Congress and we are committed to doing so."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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