White House orders federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices
The White House has issued guidance calling on all federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices within 30 days. The move follows increasing scrutiny of the Chinese-owned social media app over security concerns. The guidance is aimed at addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to securing the nation’s digital infrastructure and protecting American citizens’ security and privacy. While some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place, the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit. The White House already has a ban on TikTok on its devices.
In December, Congress passed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” as part of a government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes. However, House Republicans are expected to propose a bill giving Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide, which could include any software applications that threaten national security.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., is extremely popular and used by two-thirds of teenagers in the US. However, there is concern that Beijing could obtain control of American user data that the app has obtained. While TikTok has been dismissive of the ban for federal devices, it has noted that it is developing security and data privacy plans as part of the Biden administration’s ongoing national security review. Canada also announced on Monday that it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. The European Union’s executive branch said last week it had temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.
