According to an internal memo that was obtained by NBC News, members of Congress and their staffs are required to uninstall the popular app TikTok from any mobile phone that has been handed to them by the House of Representatives, and they are not allowed to download the app on such devices.
TikTok was deemed to pose a “high risk to users due to a multitude of security vulnerabilities,” according to the memo that was sent out on Tuesday by Catherine L. Szpindor, who is the chief administrative officer of the House. This information was included in the letter that was sent out by Catherine L. Szpindor.
The software was ordered to be removed from the phones of all members and officials in the legislature.
The memo stated that members of the House staff were not permitted to install the TikTok app on any mobile device owned by the House. You will be requested to uninstall the TikTok app from your House mobile device if you currently have it installed there.
A spokesman for TikTok did not want to comment on the matter.
The $1.7 trillion omnibus funding plan that Congress passed last week includes a provision that prohibits the use of the app TikTok on some devices owned by the government. This provision includes a restriction on the app as well as any other application provided by TikTok’s parent firm, ByteDance, which is based in Beijing. However, the ban did not extend to devices used by members of Congress or their staff.
The directive from the House does not apply to the Senate, where several senators, including Marco Rubio, R-Florida, have called for the app to be completely outlawed across the United States of America. The directive from the House does not apply to the Senate.
After the midterm elections, FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a warning to members of Congress that the Chinese government could use TikTok to control the devices of its users for the purposes of exerting influence or conducting espionage.
The business announced a week ago that it was actively working to “address in a meaningful way any and all of the security concerns that have been voiced at both the state and the federal level.” “These plans have been developed under the supervision of our country’s top national security agencies; they are plans that we are well underway in implementing, and the purpose of these plans is to further secure our platform within the United States. We will continue to brief lawmakers on these plans.”