According to the news sources, government agencies are given a deadline of 30 days by White House Officials for deleting TikTok from federal systems and devices.
In the instructions provided on Monday, OMB Director Shalanda Young said that, with rare exceptions, all executive agencies and those they contract with must remove any applications developed by TikTok or its parent firm, ByteDance, from their respective networks within 30 days of notification. Agencies have 90 days to either incorporate a clause in contracts prohibiting the use of the short-form video app on smartphones or terminate any contracts that require its usage.
The Biden administration’s guidance memorandum will make the executive branch and its contractors compliant with a law enacted by the end of 2022 that mandates the federal government’s removal of the use of the Chinese corporation ByteDance’s TikTok. It’s the latest attempt to restrict access to the app because of increased safety concerns about the information it collects from its American users and the possibility that it may fall into the hands of the Chinese government.
Concerns have been expressed by US authorities that the Chinese government may exert pressure on ByteDance to provide user data that may be used for intelligence or misinformation operations.
Brooke Oberwetter, a spokesperson for TikTok, called such a ban “little more than political theatre.”
“The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments,” Oberwetter said in a statement, adding: “We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won’t have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans.”
Mao Ning, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, responded Tuesday to a question following the announcement, saying that the US is “generalising the concept of national security,” “abusing national power” and “unreasonably suppressing enterprises of other countries.”
Last week, the European Commission slapped its own ban on the app on official devices, citing cybersecurity concerns. This week, Canada indicated it will follow suit, effective Tuesday.
