The White House has given all federal agencies 30 days to decommission TikTok from all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increased scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.
The Office of Management and Budget called the guidance, released Monday, a “critical step forward in addressing the risks the app presents to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, have restrictions in place; The directive calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.
The White House no longer allows TikTok on its devices.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in protecting our nation’s digital infrastructure and preventing foreign adversaries from accessing Americans’ data,” said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. “This guidance is part of the Administration’s ongoing 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 sweeping government funding package. Legislation allows the use of TikTok in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd, remains hugely popular and is used by two-thirds of teenagers in the US But there are growing concerns that Beijing could gain control of American user data captured by the app .
The company rejected the ban for federal agencies and noted that it is developing security and data privacy plans as part of the Biden administration’s ongoing national security review.
Canada It also announced on Monday that it has banned TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. the The executive branch of the European Union said last week that TikTok was temporarily banned from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.
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