TikTok Working on Photo Messaging Feature Despite Employee Concerns Over Sextortion

TikTok has been working on a new feature that will allow users in the U.S. to share photos over direct messages inside the app, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.

The move could be a way to encourage more people to use direct messaging on TikTok, a feature that hasn’t taken off as it has on Instagram and Snapchat. But the plans have sparked debate inside TikTok. Some employees are concerned that introducing photos to messaging could lead to a proliferation of sextortion scams and other abuses. A rise of such problems could worsen TikTok’s already politically precarious situation in the U.S.