The White House gives all federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all official devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.
The Office of Management and Budget analyses this advice as a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.” While some other agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State, already have restrictions in place. The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices.
The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in defending our nation’s digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries’ access to Americans’ data. This guidance is part of the Administration’s ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American people’s security and privacy.”
Chris DeRusha-the federal chief information security officer
In December, Congress passed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” as part of a wide government funding package. The ruling does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement, and research purposes.
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said Monday: “The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater.”
On Tuesday, House Republicans are expected to move ahead with a bill that would give Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The ruling, submitted by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the social media company.
If the proposal passed then it would allow the administration to ban not only TikTok but any software applications that threaten national security. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has been a verbal analyst of the app, saying it is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to “manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans’ data to be used for their malign activities.”
Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP a backdoor to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into your phone.”
Texas Republican
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., his counterpart in the Senate, did not shut down the idea of the chamber taking up a proposal that would empower Biden to take action against TikTok, saying it was “certainly something to consider.”
