The White House gave federal agencies 30 days on Monday to remove the Chinese-owned video-snippet sharing app TikTok from all government-issued devices, setting a deadline to comply with a US Congress-ordered ban. In a memorandum, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young asked government agencies to “remove and disallow installations” of the app on agency-owned or operated IT devices, as well as “prohibit internet traffic” from such devices to the app, within 30 days. The ban does not apply to non-federal government businesses in the United States, or to the millions of private citizens who use the hugely popular app.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a recently introduced bill in Congress would “effectively ban TikTok” in the United States (ACLU).
“Congress must not censor entire platforms and deprive Americans of their constitutional right to free speech and expression,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.
“We have the right to use TikTok and other platforms to share our ideas, thoughts, and opinions with people all over the country and the world.” TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has become a political target due to concerns that the globally popular app could be used for spying or propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The law, signed last month by US President Joe Biden, prohibits the use of TikTok on government-issued devices. The law also prohibits the use of TikTok in the US House of Representatives and Senate. Concerns about alleged Chinese spying have grown in the last month, following the flight of a Chinese balloon through US airspace and being shot down. The Canadian government banned TikTok from all of its phones and other devices on Monday, citing concerns about Beijing’s access to user data.
TIKTOK BAN
According to a report, the federal government of the United States is banning the use of TikTok on all government devices by the end of February 2023 due to national security concerns related to TikTok’s ties to China. Congress, the White House, and more than half of the states in the United States had already banned TikTok, citing concerns that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to spread misinformation or narratives favorable to China.
Following the temporary app ban on June 29, 2020, the Indian government has issued a notice to TikTok regarding the app’s permanent ban in the country. According to sources, the government has issued a similar permanent ban notice to 177 Chinese apps that were previously banned, in addition to TikTok.
