In an internal memo obtained by NBC News, Catherine Szpindor, the House’s chief administrative officer (CAO), said TikTok poses “a number of security risks.” The House of Representatives is the latest branch of the U.S. government to ban TikTok. In December 2019, the U.S. Army banned the Chinese video-sharing app following an advisory from the Pentagon. Over a dozen U.S. states have also banned TikTok in recent months. And last week, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus federal spending bill that outlaws the use of TikTok on all devices issued by the executive branch of the government. The ban will take effect once the bill gets the signature of President Joe Biden.
TikTok Poses a ‘High-Risk to Users’
Members of the House and staff are now barred from downloading TikTok, and those who have already installed the app must delete it. “House staff are NOT allowed to download the TikTok app on any House mobile devices,” the memo said. “If you have the TikTok app on your House mobile device, you will be contacted to remove it.” This is not the first indication that Szpindor considers TikTok a security risk. In August, the CAO released an advisory warning against the use of TikTok. “The “TikTok” mobile application has been deemed by the CAO Office of CyberSecurity to be a high-risk to users due to its lack of transparency in how it protects customer data, its requirement of excessive permissions, and the potential security risks involved with its use,” the advisory said.
Potential Nationwide TikTok Ban
In April 2020, Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced legislation to ban the use of TikTok on all federal government devices. Earlier this month, Senator Marco Rubio also unveiled a bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok nationwide. U.S. officials have long voiced distrust over TikTok, expressing concerns that it shares user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During his tenure, former U.S. President Donald Trump cracked down on TikTok and other Chinese apps, like WeChat, Alipay, QQ Wallet, and WeChat Pay, citing security concerns. However, in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s Presidential Orders. Cybersecurity experts generally agree that TikTok is an invasive app. However, it is also one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with an estimated one billion users globally. If you use TikTok, check out our in-depth guide to TikTok privacy risks to understand what data the app collects about you.
