Federal agencies have 30 days to remove TikTok from government-issued devices, White House says
states across the country over security concerns – with critics claiming that the Chinese government could use TikTok to gain access to private user data or spread misinformation.
TikTok is already not allowed on White House devices – and some other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, also have similar restrictions in place.
Now, remaining federal agencies will follow. According to the guidance memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget, all executive agencies and their contractors must remove TikTok or any app from its parent company, ByteDance, within 30 days of Monday’s notice – with few exceptions for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.
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The guidance fulfills requirements of the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act,” which was passed by Congress in December.
Reuters first reported on the guidance issued Monday.
TikTok, China respond to White House’s move
Following the White House’s Monday move, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter called such bans of the social media app “little more than political theater.”
“The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments,” Oberwetter said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. “We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won’t have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans.”
In a Tuesday press briefing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. government of abusing state power.
November:FBI director says TikTok poses national security threat, and he’s ‘extremely concerned’
“How unsure of itself can the world’s top superpower be to fear a young people’s favorite app like that?” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The U.S. government “has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies. We firmly oppose those wrong actions.”
China has long-blocked numerous foreign social media platforms and messaging apps – such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Bill to ban TikTok nationwide
Monday’s guidance also arrives as House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide – as well as other software applications that threaten national security.
The legislation is proposed by chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas. McCaul has been a vocal critic of TikTok, saying the app is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to “manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans’ data to be used for their malign activities.”
The American Civil Liberties Union is among those that oppose the bill. In a Monday press release, the ACLU said that such a ban would violate First Amendment rights and noted that the U.S. government “can’t ban a social media platform simply because the app is from a Chinese company.”
bans for state-issued devices.
More:South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issues executive order blocking TikTok from state devices
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Also on Monday, Canada announced that it is similarly banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. And last week, the European Union’s executive branch said it has temporarily banned TikTok from employee-used phones for cybersecurity reasons.
Contributing: The Associated Press