More and more authorities around the world are banning TikTok from their employees’ cell phones: Due to security concerns, employees of all US federal agencies must now also delete the short video app from their corporate cell phones. You have 30 days to remove TikTok, Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in an internal directive.
The White House and State Department, as well as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, had previously banned its use. The US House of Representatives had already banned TikTok on official House of Congress devices in late 2022.
The app, which belongs to Chinese group ByteDance, has been a thorn in the side of security authorities. They fear the Beijing government will gain control over foreign user data. Furthermore, they can manipulate the software’s recommendation algorithms to exert influence.
China denies allegations
TikTok and the Chinese government have consistently denied the allegations. The latter described the US ban as an abuse of state power to suppress foreign companies. The US has overextended the concept of national security.
Other states also banned TikTok from the company’s phones. Recently, this also includes Canada. A similar instruction was previously issued to EU Commission officials.
“Spy balloon on your phone”
At the same time, the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs would vote today on a bill that would allow a ban on TikTok on all smartphones in the US. “Anyone who downloaded TikTok onto their device has given the Chinese Communist Party a backdoor to all of their personal information,” warned committee chairman Mike McCaul. “It’s a spy balloon on her phone.”
The civil rights organization American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized this initiative. “Congress should not censor entire platforms and deny American citizens their constitutional right to free speech,” said ACLU Legal Counsel Jenna Leventoff. “We have the right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange thoughts, ideas and opinions with people in the country and around the world.”