Congress Passes Bill To Ban TikTok From Federal Devices

Topline

Congress approved a ban on TikTok from federal devices Friday as part of a larger government spending bill, amid a recent surge by state governments banning the app—owned by Chinese firm ByteDance—on national security grounds, and after Forbes revealed several of its reporters were tracked by TikTok’s parent company.

Congress passed a bill banning TikTok from federal devices in its spending bill Friday.

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Key Facts

The No TikTok on Government Devices Act, sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), was included as a provision in a $1.7 trillion fiscal year 2023 government funding bill approved by the Senate on Thursday and the House on Friday.

The act prohibits TikTok from being downloaded or accessed through any federally issued device or network, with exceptions for using the app to develop possible risk mitigation measures.

The proposed ban complements decisions by several states to ban the social media app from state government-issued devices, including Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Idaho, Georgia, North Dakota, Iowa, Alabama, Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota, Maryland, Nebraska, Florida and Tennessee.

Surprising Fact

Employees of ByteDance tracked multiple Forbes journalists who reported on the company, according to an internal ByteDance investigation revealed by Forbes on Thursday. The revelation follows an earlier report from Forbes that discovered TikTok accounts run by the Chinese government attacked U.S. politicians before the midterm elections while pushing divisive social issues without disclosure the accounts were run by a foreign government.

What To Watch For

President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday he will sign the government spending package as soon as it reaches his desk.

Tangent

Larger bipartisan legislation banning TikTok from the U.S. was announced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) last week, though a timeline for when the legislation will be voted on is unknown. The proposed act would prohibit and block all transactions from any social media company in or “under the influence of” China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, though it only directly refers to TikTok. Companion legislation in the House was also announced and has been sponsored by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).

Crucial Quote

“[The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] is currently negotiating conditions under which ByteDance and TikTok can operate in the United States, and as a member of the House Intelligence Committee … I felt compelled that we have to do something now, to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from being able to use this app for potentially harming our national security,” Krishnamoorthi told Forbes.

Key Background

A surge of states have banned TikTok on national security grounds, as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States continues its investigation into ByteDance. An initial ban was proposed in a failed order by former President Donald Trump in 2020, complementing a release sent by the U.S. Commerce Department claiming the app and its parent company have the means to “threaten national security, foreign policy and economy of the U.S.” Biden revoked Trump’s order the following year before promoting a security review of the app, according to the Washington Post. A New York Times article suggests the app can track user keystrokes, while Forbes previously reported ByteDance had planned to monitor the location of American citizens. Both articles were referred to in a letter sent by several Republican members of Congress from Wisconsin urging a ban in the state, adding TikTok was “nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware.”