TikTok ban in US: White House directs federal agencies to remove ByteDance app from government devices, claim reports

Federal agencies have been instructed by the White House to uninstall TikTok from all devices that are issued by the government within 30 days. Shalanda Young, who is the director of the Office of Management and Budget, has issued guidance stating that all executive agencies, as well as those with whom they have contracts, must remove any TikTok or ByteDance application within 30 days, with only a few exceptions.

Within 90 days, agencies must modify their contracts to include a provision prohibiting the use of the short-form video app on devices and must terminate any contracts that require the app's use.

Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson, dismissed the ban as a mere political gesture. In a statement, Oberwetter noted that the TikTok ban on federal devices was hastily passed in December, without any thorough consideration, and expressed the hope that Congress would explore alternative solutions to address national security concerns without censoring the voices of millions of Americans.




In response to the announcement, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, criticized the US for abusing national power, generalizing the concept of national security, and unreasonably suppressing foreign enterprises.

Following the US ban on TikTok, Canada has announced its own decision to ban the app on government devices, effective as early as Tuesday. Additionally, last week, the European Commission prohibited the use of TikTok on official devices, citing concerns about cybersecurity.

More than half of all US states have either partially or completely prohibited the use of TikTok on government employees' devices. Furthermore, the US House of Representatives previously revealed that it had limited the use of the app on electronic devices managed by the chamber.

FAQs

1. Who is the President of United States?
   Joe Biden
2. Who is the CEO of ByteDance?
   Zhang Yiming