House endorses TikTok ban on official devices

TikTok has its days numbered on official federal government devices. On Tuesday, Congress approved banning the popular Chinese app on all electronic devices managed by the House of Representatives.

The ban follows a similar ban in the Senate. Congress considers the app "high risk due to a number of security issues." This was confirmed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House (CAO) in a message he sent to all congressmen and House staff on Tuesday. In the brief, the official reported that the application would be removed from all congressionally managed devices in the coming days.

The main reason for banning TikTok on official devices is to prevent Chinese espionage. The company was recently discovered to have helped the Chinese government obtain unauthorized information from U.S. journalists. In view of this and after several suspicions, 19 states partially blocked the app on state-run devices.

The TikTok ban falls under the Omnibus funding bill, which secures funding for the federal government through Sept. 30, 2023. This will go into effect once President Joe Biden officially signs it into law. "With the passage of the Omnibus that banned TikTok on executive branch devices, the CAO worked with the Committee on House Administration to implement a similar policy for the House," a CAO spokesman told Reuters.

The message, the spokesperson reported, said that anyone with the Chinese TikTok app installed on their device would be contacted to remove it. Likewise, it informed that, from that moment on, downloading the app is strictly prohibited. TikTok has yet to comment on this new ban.