Under a spending bill that Congress revealed early Tuesday, TikTok would be banned from most US government devices. This appears to be the latest move of American lawmakers against the Chinese-owned social media app.
According to CBS News, this seems to be the most significant restriction on TikTok to date. The bill is expected to become a law in the coming days in order to avert a partial government shutdown.
When this happens, having a TikTok account on a device issued by the federal government will be considered illegal.
Congress is Exempted From the TikTok Ban
The 4,155-page spending bill, which has bipartisan support, gives orders to the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to make guidelines for executive agencies to remove TikTok from government devices.
If the bill passes Congress by Friday's funding deadline, the plan and guidelines would be required by mid-February.
The provision in the spending bill put a reference to TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance. The Chinese company has been the subject of growing scrutiny as the social media app's popularity and usage soared in the US.
The move to ban TikTok on government devices comes amid the state governments' newly ordered restrictions on the social media app.
For instance, more than a dozen states have recently banned the use of the app on state government phone devices. In fact, in the last week alone, seven states enforced the restriction.
According to AP, the spending bill orders the removal of TikTok only on the employees' devices of the executive branch.
Those working for national security, and law enforcement would be exempted. Likewise, those whose works are related to research will also be exempted.
Based on the provision, the ban appears not to cover Congress, where a handful of lawmakers maintain TikTok accounts.
Lawmakers, Experts Warn That TikTok Could be Use to Spread Pro-China Narratives
Around two-thirds of American teens are using TikTok. The app has become the second-most popular domain in the world.
In the US, there has been a bipartisan concern that China would use legal and regulatory power to collect users' data, according to CBS News.
Another concern is the country could push pro-China narratives or misinformation using the social media app.
Lawmakers and experts have issued a warning that the Chinese government could compel ByteDance to provide access to the data of TikTok users.
According to John Carlin, who previously ran the Justice Department's National Security Division, the collected data can be very valuable.
Likewise, Carlin said he's worried Chinese officials could also influence the videos being shown to Americans.
He added that it's not just a matter of data theft but also manipulation of the content that Americans watch.
Meanwhile, according to Michael Beckerman, TikTok's head of public policy for America, the concern is overstated.
He added that TikTok actually collects less data than other social media apps. Moreover, ByteDance is working to move the users' data to servers in the US, out of reach of China.
According to Engadget, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said that they are disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices.
Oberwetter added that this is a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests.
Related Article: FCC Commissioner Asks US Government to Ban TikTok in the Country
