US Senator Hawley Aims to Ban TikTok From Government Devices

Today, the US Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism held a hearing titled ‘Dangerous Partners: Big Tech and Beijing’, and subcommittee Chairman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced that he will introduce legislation to ban TikTok from the devices of federal employees, to ensure government institutions’ data privacy.

In the hearing, Sen. Hawley said, “Today, I’m announcing I will introduce legislation to ban the use of TikTok by all federal employees on all federal government devices.”

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He also added, “This is a necessary step to protect the security of the United States and the data security of every American.” This measure follows a ban on TikTok imposed by the Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, and TSA.

Last year, TikTok revealed that about 60% of their 26.5 million MAUs in the US are between the ages of 16 and 24. Meanwhile last November, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), began a national security probe into TikTok parent ByteDance’s $1 billion acquisition of Musical.ly, citing potential national security concerns.