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US House bans TikTok on govt devices

28 Dec 2022 10:40am
TikTok App known in China as Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
TikTok App known in China as Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
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NEW YORK - Popular video-sharing app TikTok will not be allowed on official devices used by the House of Representatives and their staff, according to the House's Chief Administrative Office.

"The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed the TikTok mobile application to be a high risk to users due to a number of security risks,” it said in an e-mail sent Tuesday to lawmakers and staff.

"If you have the TikTok app on your House mobile, you will be contacted to remove it,” reported Anadolu Agency citing the email.

TikTok has been heavily scrutinised by US officials with the FBI warning last month that data collected on the app could be "maliciously” used by administration in Beijing.

TikTok responded by saying it does not store US user data in China, where the law allows the government to force companies to hand over internal information.

The US$1.7 trillion spending bill the Senate passed last week also codifies a ban on using TikTok on nearly all US government-issued devices, replacing patchwork initiatives previously limited to a handful of government agencies.

Once signed into law, the ban will cover nearly all government agencies. - Bernama

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