As part of a larger government spending bill, Congress authorized a restriction on TikTok from federal devices on Friday.
This arrived after a recent spike in state governments prohibiting the app—owned by Chinese company ByteDance—on the grounds of national security and after Forbes disclosed that a number of its reporters were being monitored by TikTok’s parent company.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is the sponsor of the No TikTok on Govt Devices Act, which was added as a condition in a $1.7 trillion government funding bill for the fiscal year 2023 that’s been approved by both the Senate and the House on Thursday.
The bill restricts downloading or accessing TikTok through any hardware devices or networks provided by the federal government, with the potential exception of utilizing the app to create viable risk reduction plans.
The proposed ban goes together with decisions taken by several states, including Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Idaho, Georgia, North Dakota, Iowa, Alabama, Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota, Maryland, Nebraska, Florida, and Tennessee, to restrict the social media app from state government-issued devices.
Based on an internal ByteDance inquiry publicly disclosed by Forbes on Thursday, employees of the company traced many Forbes journalists who wrote about the business.
The disclosure came after a Forbes article that revealed TikTok accounts operated by the Chinese government targeting American politicians and spreading controversial social issues without mentioning that they were controlled by a foreign government.
In a statement issued on Friday, President Joe Biden pledged to approve the government spending package as soon as it arrives at his desk.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (R) last week proposed larger, bipartisan legislation that would restrict TikTok from functioning in the United States; but, it is uncertain when the proposal would be put to a vote.
Despite the fact that it clearly mentions TikTok, the proposed law would restrict and prevent any transactions from any social media firm located in or “under the influence of” China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela. The announcement of companion legislation in the House, sponsored by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).
“[The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] is currently negotiating conditions under which ByteDance and TikTok can operate in the United States, and as a member of the House Intelligence Committee … I felt compelled that we have to do something now, to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from being able to use this app for potentially harming our national security,” Krishnamoorthi told Forbes.
As the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States continues to investigate into ByteDance, an increasing amount of states have banned TikTok for reasons of national security.
In response to a press release, from the U.S. Commerce Department alleging that the app and its parent corporation had the potential to “threaten national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S.,” a provisional ban was suggested in a failed order by former President Donald Trump in 2020.
The next year, Biden reversed Trump’s decision before advocating for an app security review, according to the Washington Post.
According to a New York Times report, the application may record keystrokes performed by users, and according to an earlier Forbes investigation, ByteDance intends to follow the movements of Americans.
Several Republican members of Congress from Wisconsin called for a prohibition on TikTok in a letter that also cited both publications, labeling it “nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware.”
