TikTok Ban On Mobile Devices Issued By House Representatives In The US [2023]
![TikTok Ban On Mobile Devices Issued By House Representatives In The US [2023]](https://i0.wp.com/americbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-design-3-22.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
TikTok is a video creation platform with all kinds of users posting different stuff, some are funny and some are cringy. This latter type of content prompted the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US and maybe because of some security reasons here and there too.
The thing is TikTok is a video-making platform which means that people can see you AND your surroundings in that video. In fact, many times the surroundings have been more interesting than the actual video on TikTok.
I remember one time North West uploaded a video and more than the video people were interested in the surrounding with some people going as far as asking her to give them her mother’s credit card details.
Since no one is immune to mistakes including the TikTok-using staff of the U.S. government, a TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US had to be imposed to make sure no national secrets were shared with the Chinese government.
Table of Contents
TikTok Ban On Mobile Devices Issued By House Representatives In The US
So, what was the reason for the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US? To err is to be human, and the people to take the most advantage of this concept are scammers, hackers and rival governments.
At least this is what the U.S. government believes, and they are sort of right to believe so. Social media apps and for that matter, any app or website on the internet is trying to invade user privacy on some level to get as much data that will help them sell their products and services.
Some people might think that they aren’t doing any real harm to the users except for spamming them with recommendations but in reality, this web is far spread and that’s why the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US was prompted.
The apps and websites you use can penetrate a user’s system and steal their data for their gain. If you are a regular user then your data might not be worth too much but when you are a government official your data is worth A LOT.
Also, See:
How Does The Ban Work?
Many staff members of the U.S. House of Representatives are TikTok users and many of the staff members are issued an official mobile device that can be used for official work. They are contacted on that device and they are supposed to carry out any official call, text, or mail via that device.
In short, it’s a sacred device with a lot of important information that needs to be protected at any cost. Loss or leakage of that data can cause a threat to national security and make us vulnerable to external attacks.
That’s why there was a need for the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US. You see many of the staff members were seen downloading and using the TikTok app on their House-issued mobile devices.
This made the authorities think that due to the lack of transparency in handling user data, their data is under threat as TikTok might use this as an opportunity to collect the data of their staff members and give it to the Chinese government, putting them at risk.
The Chinese government could potentially spy on the staff members and subsequently track them. Thus, the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US seems like a fair decision.
This action came in the light of the investigation that was held on 23rd December where many ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) employees were found accessing the TikTok accounts of many US journalists.
Now as per the new memo that was passed no staff member is allowed to have the TikTok app on their House-issued mobile device. They can’t download it and if they have it already then they will be directed to delete it and never re-install it. This rule hasn’t done any huge damage because not many staff members use the app on their official devices. Also, the rule doesn’t include the Senate.
Also, See:
Wrapping Up!
Was the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US a good decision or was it a waste of time, tell us your opinion in the comment section. Also, tell us what according to you can be good measures that governments can take to ensure user data isn’t wrongly used and national security is put at risk.
Frequently Asked Questions-
Q1. What is the rule for the TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US called?
Ans. The TikTok ban on mobile devices issued by house representatives in the US rule is called the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.
Q2. Who issued the TikTok ban on House-issued mobile devices?
Ans. Catherine L Szpindor, the chief administrative officer of the U.S. House of Representatives issued the ban on TikTok on House-issued mobile devices.
