The White House gave government agencies 30 days on Monday to ensure that the Chinese-owned app TikTok is not installed on federal devices and systems.
To protect U.S. data, all federal agencies must remove TikTok from phones and systems and prohibit internet traffic from reaching the company, according to a guidance memorandum obtained by Reuters from Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young.
The ban was enacted by Congress late last year after similar measures were taken by Taiwan, Canada, the EU, and more than half of the states in the United States.
The device ban, while affecting only a small portion of TikTok’s US user base, adds fuel to calls for the video-sharing app to be completely banned. Concerns about China’s national security have risen in recent weeks, following the flight of a Chinese balloon over the United States.
TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, has stated that the concerns are fueled by misinformation and has denied using the app to spy on Americans. The action has no bearing on the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on personal or work-owned devices. TikTok did not respond immediately to the White House memo.
In December, Congress voted to prohibit federal employees from using the Chinese-owned video app on government-owned devices, and the Biden administration was given 60 days to issue agency directives. The vote was the latest step taken by US lawmakers to crack down on Chinese firms amid national security concerns that Beijing could use them to spy on Americans.
According to Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha, “this guidance is part of the Administration’s ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the security and privacy of the American people.”
Before the vote, many government agencies, including the White House, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department, had banned TikTok from government devices.
The TikTok ban does not apply to national security, law enforcement, or security research activities, according to Young’s memo, but agency leadership must approve these activities, and “blanket exceptions applying to an entire agency are not permitted.”
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on a bill on Tuesday that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok from all US devices.
“My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security,” said committee chair Representative Mike McCaul. “Anyone who has TikTok installed on their device has granted the (Chinese Communist Party) access to all of their personal information. It’s a spy balloon inserted into your phone.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has stated its opposition to a TikTok ban in Congress.
According to the White House memo, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts within 90 days, and within 120 days, agencies must include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations.
Earlier on Monday, Canada announced a ban on TikTok from government-issued devices, citing an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security, further dividing the two countries.
The Canadian ban was imposed “without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions,” according to a TikTok spokesperson.
TikTok was removed from the phones of the European Union’s two most powerful policymaking institutions last week for security reasons.
