The Senate passed legislation Wednesday night to ban the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from U.S. government devices amid national security risks.
Also, several governors have ordered their agencies not to use the app on state-issued devices. This week, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, and Utah joined four other states — Maryland, South Dakota, South Carolina, and Nebraska — in issuing such bans.
The video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, rose to popularity after it debuted in 2016.
But its widespread usage across the U.S. is alarming government officials. In November, FBI Director Christopher Wray raised eyebrows after he told lawmakers that the app could be used to control users’ devices.
Citing national security concerns, governors from a handful of states are prohibiting state employees from using the app on government-issued devices.
“Protecting Alabamians’ right to privacy is a must, and I surely don’t take a security threat from China lightly,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted after announcing a ban on TikTok for state agencies on Monday. “That’s why I have banned the use of the TikTok app on our state devices and network.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the bill called “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” which was unanimously passed late Wednesday. The bill will need to be passed in the House and signed by President Joe Biden to become law.
“TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a major security risk to the United States, and until it is forced to sever ties with China completely, it has no place on government devices,” Hawley said in a statement on Thursday. “States across the U.S. are banning TikTok on government devices. It’s time for Joe Biden and the Democrats to help do the same.”
Tonight the Senate unanimously passed my bill to BAN TikTok on all government devices
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 15, 2022
According to DailyWire:
A group of bipartisan lawmakers is also leading a drive to completely ban the use of TikTok nationwide.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the legislation in the Senate this month. Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced companion legislation in the House.
“The bipartisan ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is a strong step in protecting our nation from the nefarious digital surveillance and influence operations of totalitarian regimes,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
In 2020, under former President Donald Trump, the administration tried to ban TikTok, but it resulted in the Chinese social media app’s parent company divesting the platform to an American company.
The company has increasingly emerged as a platform for political discourse and activism. Users recently said they helped inflate attendance expectations at President Donald Trump’s June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Last year, the company said about 60 percent of its 26.5 million monthly active U.S. users are aged 16 to 24.
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