The U.S. Senate has passed a bill to bar federal employees from using popular social media app TikTok on government devices. TikTok has faced numerous calls for a blanket ban in the United States due to its ties with China. The app is owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, and is often accused of being a security risk for the U.S. One of the biggest critics of the app was former President Donald Trump, whose administration tried to ban the app in 2020 along with another notable Chinese-owned app, WeChat. However, the proposed bans never materialized.
Authored by Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, the 'No TikTok on Government Devices Act' was passed by a voice vote on Wednesday evening and gets the U.S. one step closer to a total ban on the Chinese-owned app. The House of Representatives will now vote on the bill before it can be presented to President Joe Biden for his signature. As reported by The Guardian, this is the latest in a series of efforts by U.S. politicians to ban TikTok on government devices after North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently banned the app from state-owned phones and tablets. Many other states have taken similar actions in recent months, including Alabama, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Texas.
TikTok Under Scrutiny
Efforts are also on to ban TikTok at the federal level. Earlier this week, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. Along with TikTok, the bill also proposes to block all transactions from social media apps that are under the "substantial influence" of countries considered to be foreign adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Republican congressman Mike Gallagher and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The flurry of activity to ban or restrict TikTok comes a month after FBI Director Chris Wray expressed concerns that TikTok could pose a serious security risk to the U.S. According to Wray, the Chinese government could harness the app to influence users or control their devices. However, the urge to ban TikTok is not new for U.S. government agencies. The U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security banned soldiers from using TikTok on their official devices as far back as Jan. 2020.
TikTok is wildly popular among young users and is known for starting various trends that often become popular on other social media platforms. The memes and trends, which often go viral due to their ingenuity, also get celebrities, movie stars, pro athletes, and politicians to join in on the fun. One such recent viral TikTok trend was 'Squirrels In My Pants,' which saw celebs like Reese Witherspoon, Lizzo, and Jimmy Fallon joining in and making fun videos for their followers on the platform.
Source: The Guardian