TikTok has been a hot topic in the US for some time now, with concerns about the app’s security and potential ties to the Chinese government leading to calls for its ban. The US House of Representatives has now taken the step of banning TikTok from all official devices it owns and manages, citing “security issues” as the primary reason for the ban, according to Reuters.
Security concerns cited as reasons for the ban
The House’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) reportedly decided to ban TikTok on all official devices owned and managed by the US House of Representatives. The CAO sent an email to all lawmakers and their staff instructing them to delete the app from their devices and prohibiting any future downloads of the app.
This ban follows a similar move by the US government, which last week approved a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that included provisions prohibiting the use of TikTok on executive branch devices. In November, FBI Director Chris Wray warned the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that the Chinese government might be using the app “to control data collection on millions of users… or to control software on millions of devices.”
TikTok denies wrongdoings and working to address concerns
This continued push to ban TikTok in the US is a reflection of the ongoing concerns about the app’s security and its potential ties to the Chinese government. However, TikTok has denied any wrongdoings on their behalf and said that they are working to address these concerns and distance themselves from their Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Further, stating that they are routing all domestic traffic through Oracle servers in the US and have pledged to delete all US user data.
A TikTok spokesperson did not comment on the new House ban, but told CNET, “We have been working with the US Committee on Foreign Investment for over two years to address all reasonable national security concerns about TikTok in the US.”
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