On Monday, the White House gave federal agencies 30 days to make sure that the Chinese-owned app TikTok is not present on their systems or devices.
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, advised agencies in a guidance note obtained by Reuters that they would need to modify their information technology contracts to guarantee that vendors protect US data by not using TikTok on their systems and devices.
According to TikTok, false information is the cause of the worries. More than 100 million Americans use TikTok on personal or business-owned devices, therefore the move has no impact on them.
The Biden administration has 60 days to release agency directions after the Congress passed a resolution in December prohibiting federal employees from accessing the Chinese-owned video app on government-owned devices.
The decision was the most recent step taken by US Congress to impose sanctions on Chinese firms due to concerns over possible spying on Americans by Beijing.
Chris DeRusha, the federal government’s chief information security officer, stated that “this guidance is part of the Administration’s continuous commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and safeguarding the security and privacy of the American people.”
Before the vote, TikTok was prohibited on government-owned devices by a number of departments and agencies, including the State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House.
According to Young’s memo, the TikTok restriction does not apply in cases of national security, law enforcement, or security research activities; nonetheless, agency leadership must approve these activities.
According to the memo, agencies must handle any TikTok usage by IT providers through contracts within 90 days, and within 120 days, agencies must include a new TikTok ban in any new bids.
Equipment bought by a federal contractor ancillary to a federal contract is exempt from the federal contractor ban, which only applies to equipment utilised in government work.
