House Bans TikTok From Phones Following White House Lead

(NewsGlobal.com)- According to reports, in an email, the House ordered the immediate removal of the social networking app TikTok from its government devices on Tuesday.

Staff members and lawmakers were notified by email from the House Chief Administrative Office Catherine L. Szpindor that TikTok is prohibited “from all House managed devices.” The policy is said to take effect “beginning immediately” in the email.

This announcement follows the inclusion of a bill prohibiting TikTok from executive branch government devices in the 4,000+ page omnibus bill passed last week by Congress.

The House is currently working to align its policy with the demands placed on the executive branch by that legislation.

The TikTok mobile application was deemed a high risk to users due to many security risks, according to the email from The Office of Cybersecurity.

The email explains that executive brand agencies must remove the social networking service TikTok and any successor applications or services created or offered by ByteDance Limited as of January 1, 2023, per the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

“The Committee on House Administration has permitted the Office of Cybersecurity to implement a similar policy for the U.S. House of Representatives.”

The parent company of TikTok in China is called ByteDance Limited.

The No TikTok on Government Devices Act, a provision in the omnibus bill, forbids using the social media app on equipment the government provides.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who introduced it with Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rick Scott, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., gave it a lot of attention.

The bill states that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget “shall develop standards and guidelines for executive agencies requiring the removal of any covered application from information technology” not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

The bill makes “exceptions for law enforcement activities, national security interests and activities, and security researchers,” but it also states that government agencies must “develop and document risk mitigation actions for such use” for any use falling under those exceptions.