Congress has passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that includes a clause banning TikTok from government devices.
TikTok has been under fire for repeated privacy concerns, not to mention lying to Congress about how US user data is handled. Several states have already banned the app from state-owned devices, but Congress has taken it a step further.
According to CNBC, both chambers of Congress have passed a $1.7 trillion bill that includes a provision banning the app from government devices. Despite praise from various industry groups, the move drew condemnation from TikTok.
“We’re disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices — a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests — rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “The agreement under review by CFIUS will meaningfully address any security concerns that have been raised at both the federal and state level. These plans have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies — plans that we are well underway in implementing — to further secure our platform in the United States, and we will continue to brief lawmakers on them.”
Only time will tell if lawmakers are satisfied with banning the app from government devices, or if additional measures will taken to implement a wider ban.
In the meantime, the bill will go to President Biden to be signed into law.
