US TikTok Ban on Government-issued Cellphones Law Finally Explained

Andi C., Tech Times 31 December 2022, 09:12 am

The US government's recent law limiting the use of TikTok is finally explained.

In case you missed it, US President Joe Biden recently signed a law that included a TikTok ban on government-issued cellphones, according to the Washington Post.

Following the app's restrictions from official devices at the White House, in most military branches, and in a number of federal organizations, including the Homeland Security and State departments, TikTok has now been removed from government mobile devices.

With more than one billion users of TikTok worldwide, the total population of daily users may not be hugely affected by this change, so what exactly enacted this law?

Real Reason for US TikTok Ban on Government-issued Phones

According to the Guardian, due to worries about the parent business, ByteDance, which is based in China, the US government has banned TikTok from being downloaded onto federally owned devices. The US is concerned that TikTok could be used by the Chinese authorities to gain access to such devices and US user data.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter recently expressed that the company was "disappointed" that Congress moved forward with the proposal and stated that it was simply a political gesture that would do nothing to advance national security interests.

The restriction means that, unless they are utilizing the app for national security or law enforcement duties, federal government employees will have to remove TikTok from their government-issued devices in around two months.

When Will the US-Tiktok Ban Take Effect?

Following the announcement of the new law, all federal employees must remove the app from their phones in accordance with rules and procedures that must be developed within 60 days by the director of the US Office of Management and Budget and other offices.

Since TikTok has already been prohibited by a number of federal institutions, including the White House, the departments of defense, homeland security, and the state, nothing will change for those workers.

The House of Representatives' chief administrator, Catherine Szpindor, also gave the order to all staff and legislators earlier this week to remove the program from their devices.

US Politicians Raise Mixed Reactions on TikTok Ban

According to a past report from Telecoms, several digital privacy and civil rights organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Fight for the Future, have argued that while the possibility of China using TikTok for its own purposes is alarming, several other apps and services can also give governments access to user data, including those in the US.

"This isn't about creative videos - this is about an app that is collecting data on tens of millions of American children and adults every day," According to Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

However, opponents of TikTok use have also pushed for legislation and backed campaigns to do so. Among these include Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, who has called for other states to take measures to keep the US government's technology out of the Chinese Communist party's grasp and supported moves to outlaw TikTok on government-owned devices.