WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Concerns over cybersecurity and possible spying by the Chinese government led to a push on Capitol Hill to ban all federal employees from using the popular app TikTok on government devices, Sen. Rick Scott said in a release.
Scott, along with republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, introduced legislation that would ban all federal employees from using the app on their government-issued smartphones and other devices.
The State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the Transportation Security Administration have already banned TikTok on government-issued devices, according to the release.
"The use of apps like TikTok by federal employees on government devices is a risk to our networks and a threat to our national security, and I’m proud to join Senator Hawley to put an end to it," Scott said. "We should all be very concerned about the threat of Communist China, and I hope my colleagues will join me to implement this ban immediately and protect our national security.”
Hawley said TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Community Party members on its board and admitted it collects user data including messages sent, pictures shared, keystrokes and location data while users' apps are running in the background of their smart devices.
The full text of the bill is available here.