Cybersecurity experts sound the alarm about TikTok alternatives [Video]

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — As TikTok is set to be banned in the U.S. on Sunday over national security concerns, social media users may be turning to apps that are just as risky, cybersecurity experts warn.

In Apple’s App Store, China-based RedNote is at the top of the list for free downloads, followed by Lemon8, which says TikTok powers it.

“There’s absolutely huge concerns because if our consumers download a new app with the identical concerns of Chinese owned, government sponsored applications on their devices, they’re going to have the identical privacy concerns that the U.S. Congress and our government just banned,” said Tim Roemer, the chief security officer of Global Market Innovators and former director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security.

“When you allow somebody onto your device, it’s like welcoming them into your home. You wouldn’t just welcome a criminal into your home that way,” Roemer said. “Your information, your privacy …