Popular Chinese-owned social network TikTok has long been under fire due to spying accusations by the US government. The US House of Representatives has now ruled that government devices are not allowed to have TikTok installed.
Reuters reports that The US House of Representatives administration confirmed on Tuesday that it has banned TikTok from US government devices, meaning that no one is allowed to install and use the app on government devices.
According to the House’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), TikTok was banned because the platform offers “high risk due to a number of security issues.” The app must be immediately uninstalled from government devices that currently have it installed.
While this ban doesn’t affect the average TikTok user, it adds fuel to the fire when it comes to discussions about whether TikTok should be banned from all devices in the United States.
As far back as 2020, when former US President Donald Trump announced his intention to ban TikTok from devices in the United States. That ban was never put into effect. Earlier this year, the US Federal Communications Commission suggest that the TikTok app be removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The regulator said at the time that TikTok is a “sophisticated surveillance tool” for the Chinese government.
In August 2022, security researcher Felix Krause said TikTok’s customer in-app browser on iOS injects JavaScript code into external websites. allowing TikTok to monitor “all keyboard inputs and taps” while the user visits a website in the app
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has confirmed that some of its China-based employees can access data from TikTok users in the United States. However, the company said that the employees are “subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols.”
(Via 9to5Mac)