WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has given all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.
The Office of Management and Budget called the guidance, issued Monday, a “critical step in addressing the risks presented by applications to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions; guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit in 30 days.
The White House has not allowed TikTok on the device.
“The Biden-Harris administration has invested heavily in defending our nation’s digital infrastructure and blocking foreign adversaries’ access to American data,” said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. “This guidance is part of the Administration’s commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the security and privacy of the American people.”
The guidance was first reported by Reuters.
Congress passed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” in December as part of a government funding package. The law allows the use of TikTok in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.
TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said Monday: “TikTok’s ban on federal devices was passed in December without deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has become a blueprint for the rest of the world’s governments. This ban is little more than political theater.
House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The law, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration will face in court if it is moved to proceed with sanctions against social media companies.
If passed, the proposal would allow the administration to ban not only TikTok but software applications that threaten national security. McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has been a vocal critic of the app, saying it is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to “deceive and monitor users while burning American data to use for defamation.”
“Anyone who downloads TikTok on their device has given the CCP a back door to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into your phone,” the Texas Republican said in a statement Monday.
Senator Bob Menendez, DN.J., his counterpart in the Senate, did not shut down the idea of the chamber taking up a proposal that would empower Biden to take action against TikTok, saying that it is “definitely worth considering.”
Oberwetter said: “I hope that when dealing with national security concerns about TikTok beyond government tools, Congress will explore solutions that will not have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans.”
TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., remains hugely popular and is used by two-thirds of teenagers in the U.S. But there are growing concerns that Beijing could control the data the app collects on American users.
The company rejected the ban on federal devices and noted that it is developing a security and data privacy plan as part of the Biden administration’s national security review.
Canada also announced Monday that it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. The European Union’s executive branch said last week it had temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.
Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.