House of Representatives Bans TikTok on Staff Phones - Vanity Fair

The “For You Page” is nary longer for House members and their staff. TikTok is present banned from being utilized connected devices issued by the House of Representatives.

Catherine Szpindor, the main administrative serviceman (CAO) of the House, issued the mandate, explaining the China-based app poses “high hazard to users owed to a fig of information risks.”

According to a memo sent this week by the Committee connected House Administration, effectual immediately, “House unit are NOT allowed to download the TikTok app connected immoderate House mobile devices.” Furthermore, “TikTok is NOT allowed connected House mobile devices. If you person the TikTok app connected your House mobile device, you volition beryllium contacted to region it.” TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is based successful Beijing.

In August, the CAO issued a “cyber advisory” regarding the societal media app: “TikTok is simply a Chinese-owned company, and immoderate usage of this level should beryllium done with that successful mind.” The CAO called the app “high-risk to users owed to its deficiency of transparency successful however it protects lawsuit data, its request of excessive permissions, and the imaginable information risks progressive with its use.”

TikTok has repeatedly denied immoderate origin for concern. “It is troubling that alternatively than encouraging the medication to reason its nationalist information reappraisal of TikTok, some members of Congress person decided to propulsion for a politically-motivated ban that volition bash thing to beforehand the nationalist information of the United States,” a TikTok spokesperson said successful a statement. 

Similarly, Michael Beckerman, TikTok's caput of nationalist argumentation for the Americas, antecedently said the information concerns were exaggerated, but that it “makes for bully politics.”

Former President Donald Trump attempted to prohibition TikTok from operating successful the United States, but was not met with success; successful 2021, President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s enforcement bid and instead called for a authorities reappraisal of foreign-owned apps and for a information hazard assessment.

This latest prohibition follows a increasing inclination of efforts to artifact the app crossed the US. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill earlier this period that projected banning the societal media app from being utilized connected devices issued by national agencies. In the aforesaid vein, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced different measure that would “block and prohibit each transactions” by TikTok and immoderate different societal media apps operating “under the influence” of China.