US Senate approves TikTok ban on government devices
- Lawmakers unanimously backed the bill, which now heads to President Trump to be signed into law
- The popular video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has come under fire on national security grounds
The US Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday to ban TikTok, the Chinese-owned hit video-sharing app, from use on government-issued devices, the final step before the proposal heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
The No TikTok on Government Devices Act would prohibit federal employees, officers, lawmakers and contractors from downloading or using TikTok – and all other apps developed by its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance – on any device issued by the US government or government corporation.
The Senate vote followed the unanimous vote two weeks ago by its Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approving the legislation, which was introduced in March by Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican. An identical version was passed in July by the House of Representatives, 336-71.
TikTok was thrust into the spotlight of the escalating US-China tech war, coming under fire from US lawmakers and the Trump administration over their stated concerns that the company’s association with the Chinese government could put the safety of American user data at risk, and thus posed a national security threat.
The bill’s passage came a day after the US intensified its battle against Chinese tech firms, announcing a five-prong plan to block “untrusted” carriers, apps, cloud computing and cable providers with ties to “malign actors” such as the Chinese Communist Party.
Trump has not said publicly whether he intends to sign the bill, but on Monday he announced a deadline of September 15 for TikTok’s US operations to be sold to an American owner or face an outright ban.
The software giant Microsoft has confirmed it is in discussions for a possible acquisition, and the Financial Times reported on Thursday that the company is also pursuing a plan that would include all countries where TikTok operates.