According to the administrative branch of the U.S. House of Representatives, the well-known Chinese video app TikTok has been removed from all devices under its control. This mimics a rule that will soon be in force that would remove the app from devices used by the U.S. government.
The software must be removed from all devices under the control of the House because it is deemed “high risk due to a variety of security vulnerabilities,” according to a note the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House delivered to all members and staff on Tuesday.
The new regulation comes in response to many efforts by American state governments to prohibit TikTok, which is run by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd, from being used on official platforms.
Because of worries that the Chinese government would use the app to follow Americans and restrict material, 19 states have at least partially barred the app from state-managed smartphones as of last week.
The software will no longer be available on smartphones under federal management after President Joe Biden signs the $1.66 trillion omnibus spending plan into law, which will fund the federal government through September 30, 2023.
“With the passage of the Omnibus that banned TikTok on executive branch devices, the CAO worked with the Committee on House Administration to implement a similar policy for the House,” a spokesperson for the Chief Administrative Officer told Reuters on Tuesday.
The employees were informed that future downloads of TikTok were forbidden and that anyone found to have the app installed on their smartphone would be contacted to have it removed.
An inquiry for comments regarding the new rule was not immediately answered by TikTok.
A proposal from US politicians to outlaw the app nationally has been made.
To read our blog on “Taiwan is looking into alleged criminal activity on TikTok,” click here.
