The US Senate late on Wednesday passed a bill banning federal employees from using the popular video-sharing app TikTok on government-owned devices by voice vote, taking a significant step toward outlawing it throughout the nation. Prior to being brought to President Joe Biden for approval, it must also receive the blessing of the US House of Representatives. Before the current congressional session, which is anticipated to finish next week, is through, this needs to be accomplished.
The possibility that Beijing could use the app to spy on Americans and jeopardize national security has been brought up by a number of authorities. Similar laws prohibiting the use of the ByteDance-owned software on equipment and networks used by the government have already been passed in other states. This past week, North Dakota and Iowa were added to the list, which now includes Texas, Maryland, South Dakota, Alabama, and Utah.
The company claims that the worries are primarily the result of false information
A bill banning TikTok from government devices was unanimously approved by the Senate in August 2020, during the previous Congress. In 2021, the bill’s original sponsor, Republican Senator Josh Hawley, reintroduced it. Many federal agencies, such as the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments have already ban TikTok from government-owned devices. “TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices,” Hawley said previously.
In response to the blockage, TikTok claims that the worries are primarily the result of false information and that the firm is eager to meet with regulators to explain its procedures. “We’re disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States,” the company said Wednesday.
In response to concerns that the Chinese video-sharing app could be used to spy on Americans and censor content, Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to outlaw the app. Additionally, Rubio is a supporter of Hawley’s measure banning TikTok from government use. According to Rubio’s office, the law will prevent any transactions from social media companies based in or controlled by China and Russia. TikTok’s US operations raise national security concerns, according to FBI Director Chris Wray, who stated this at a hearing last month. He said there is a chance that the Chinese government could use it to influence users or take control of their devices.
In 2020, then-president Donald Trump tried to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions, effectively blocking the apps’ use in the United States. However, he lost a series of court battles over the measure.
In order to safeguard the data of TikTok’s more than 100 million users, CFIUS and TikTok have been in negotiations for months
To satisfy concerns that user data would be given to the Chinese government, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a significant national security authority, has ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok in 2020. The business hasn’t yet taken any such action, though. In order to safeguard the data of TikTok’s more than 100 million users, CFIUS and TikTok have been in negotiations for months.