Elected politicians in the US have been ordered not to download or delete TikTok from government-issued cell phones by order of the speaker of the House of Representatives in the National Congress. The reason for this is the so-called Chinese app poses risk to its users’ privacy and national security.
The official text signed by Catherine Szpindor reads, “Room staff are not allowed to download the TikTok app on any of Oda’s mobile devices. If you have the TikTok app on your Oda mobile device, you will be prompted to uninstall it.” , president of the House of Representatives (CAO).
The most drastic measure came months after a January warning that had already classified the app as “high risk”. Now, downloading on official Government mobile phones is de facto prohibited.
The Chief Executive Officer of the US House of Representatives issued a cyber advisory labeling TikTok “high risk” with personal information accessed from inside China:
“Due to security and privacy concerns, we do not recommend downloading or using this app.” pic.twitter.com/F87qwFiHhR
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) 17 August 2022
The animosity of the US authorities with TikTok dates back to ancient times and started under the administration of former President Donald Trump. It was threatened to ban the app in the country, and pressure was put on an American company to buy the hugely successful social network. Neither one nor the other has happened, and TikTok is still owned by Chinese Bytedance and is available in the US.
However, the ban on the use of official mobile phones by elected politicians should be enacted. Congress passed the measure in its $1.7 trillion budget last week, which includes a clause that completely bans TikTok from government-issued cell phones. The rule will become law after current US President Joe Biden signs the document.
Source: Tec Mundo
