Biden administration bans China-based TikTok on all federal government devices over 'security concerns'
WASHINGTON, DC: The Biden administration has now banned the TikTok app on all federal government devices. The current administration signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill on Thursday, December 29, which comprised a provision outlawing the China-based app over "growing security concerns". Apparently, the move will affect nearly four million employees on devices owned by its agencies, with exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research purposes.
The decision by the government came after a series of actions against the viral video-sharing app recently. There’s a rising security concern raised by media reports, observers of the Chinese political spectrum, and local politicians. TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called Bytedance and its future seems a bit bleak with the current situation. “Certainly, it gives additional leverage to DOJ to say, 'Look, the record is not positive,’” said Megan Stifel, an ex-Department of Justice national security official.
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Stifel reflected on the possible challenges TikTok will face while trying to manage data responsibly. The Biden administration and the Justice Department have been seeking a clearer picture and tried negotiating over a proposed security agreement with TikTok. “We’re disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices — a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests — rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review,” the company said about the ban in a statement.
TikTok mentioned a proposed security agreement with the Biden administration and said that it would continue to address the security concerns raised by lawmakers and regulators, according to MSN News. It added, “These plans have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies — plans that we are well underway in implementing — to further secure our platform in the United States, and we will continue to brief lawmakers on them.”
Sen Steve Daines, R-Mont, told NBC News in a statement, “I have serious concerns with any app that poses a risk to Americans’ personal data and information and has deep ties to China.” The senator is among many Republicans who have been constantly pressing TikTok to be more transparent in their functioning, “We need clear answers on TikTok’s data sharing policies and must ensure the platform is being held accountable for its practices,” he added.
Notably, the China-based TikTok app was banned by the US military on its devices three years ago, a move replicated by financial services company Well Fargo.
