US House of Representatives Bans TikTok on Official Government Devices, Following State Governments' Move

TikTok has been banned from all devices owned by the United States House of Representatives due to a number of security issues. The House's Chief Administrative Officer stated that the application must be deleted from all devices managed by the House accordingly.

(Photo : OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
In this photo illustration, the social media application logo, TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on an American flag background on August 3, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. - The US Senate voted on August 6, 2020, to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular Chinese-owned video app. The bill passed by the Republican controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats.

Banning TikTok to US House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives Committee on House Administration announced the ban of ByteDance's TikTok from all devices managed by the House, as it contains a number of security risks that might affect the authorities.

According to a report from South China Morning Post, house staffers are now not allowed from downloading and using the application on House-owned devices. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Catherine Szpindor ordered them to remove the application via a memorandum.

Szpindor described the application as "high risk" because of its potential threats. A spokesperson from the CAO stated, "With the passage of the Omnibus that banned TikTok on executive branch devices, the CAO worked with the Committee on House Administration to implement a similar policy for the House."

TikTok US-Ban

Over the previous months, TikTok has been facing concerns over national security due to its parent company Bytedance, a China-based company.

Reuters reported that the House of Representatives followed 19 states to partially block the application from state-owned devices due to several concerns regarding the data security of the Chinese government that could potentially be used to track Americans and censor content.

These include Texas, Georgia, Maryland, South Dakota, South Carolina, Nebraska, and more.

An omnibus spending bill was also passed last week that costs $1.66 trillion to fund the United States government until September 30, 2023. This includes a provision to ban the application on government-managed devices, which will take effect once President Joe Biden signs it into law.

This bill was introduced by GOP Senator Josh Hawley. He stated, "TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party. It's a major security risk to the United States, and until it is forced to sever ties with China completely, it has no place on government devices."

Aside from these, several officials from the country have also repeatedly warned the authorities regarding the data collection on its users.

Last November, a bipartisan warning was issued to TikTok by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton and Virginia Democrat Senator Mark Warner. Both senators warned young audiences of potential risks that may occur when using the application.

As per CBS News, FBI Director Christoper Wray stated that banning the application is needed because the country is currently facing national security concerns. He added, "They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users."