US Bans TikTok On Lawmakers’ Official Phones

US Bans TikTok On Lawmakers’ Official Phones

TikTok has been formally prohibited from being used on any device owned or operated by the United States House of Representatives.

According to the administrative branch of the House, a law specifying the app’s ban is about to go into effect.

According to Reuters, the House’s Chief Administrative Officer stated that TikTok posed a “high danger due to a number of security vulnerabilities” and that the software needs to be removed from smartphones in a memo issued to members and staff.

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The prohibition comes after the approval of a nearly $1.7 trillion USD omnibus budget measure that specifies how government funding will be distributed in the coming year.

The 4,155-page bill included the proposed No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which would require lawmakers and employees to remove the app from government devices by mid-February.

TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd, was already partially or completely prohibited from being used on government-owned devices in 19 states prior to the bill’s passage.

Republican lawmakers are concerned about the app’s security flaws because it could be used to track and collect user data.

While all of this is going on, TikTok has been attempting to assuage these fears since June by routing its American data through domestic Oracle servers.

The U.S. House of Representatives Chief Administrative Officer has issued a cyber advisory on TikTok, labeling it “high-risk” with personal info accessed from inside China: