Topline
The White House on Monday set a 30-day deadline for federal agencies to ensure the removal of TikTok from all government-issued devices, a move that comes months after U.S. Congress voted to ban the use of the Chinese-owned social media app on government devices over national security concerns.
Federal agencies have been set a 30-day deadline to ensure the removal of the app from government … [+]
Key Facts
In a guidance issued by, Shalanda Young, the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, federal agencies have been ordered to delete TikTok from devices issued to staffers and other federal contractors within 30 days.
Agencies have also been ordered to block the installation of TikTok on government devices and prevent any internet traffic between the app and these devices.
In addition to this agencies have been given a 90-day timeline to include the ban in any of their future contracts while also canceling any existing contracts that require the use of the app.
The guidance allows for limited exceptions to the ban including its use in “law enforcement activities, national security interests…and security research” with prior approval.
However, agencies will not be allowed to issue blanket approval for the use of the app and exceptions can only be made on a case-by-case basis.
Forbes has reached out to TikTok for a comment.
What To Watch For
On Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to debate a bill that would allow the President to completely ban TikTok in the U.S. The bill was introduced by the committee’s chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) who has expressed concerns that the social media app was giving the Chinese government “a back door into our phones.” In March, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the app’s data handling policies, privacy measures and its relationship with the Chinese government.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/02/28/white-house-orders-removal-of-tiktok-from-government-issued-devices-within-30-days/