Illustrated by Natalie Peoples/Axios
With a new law banning government employees from using TikTok from work devices coming into force soon, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wants more details on how it will be enforced .
News promotion: The TikTok ban, which Congress passed last December, is due to be implemented by February 27, but it’s not yet clear how the federal government will implement it.
- Hawley, who led the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, passed as part of the year-end total spending bill, wrote Friday to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is responsible for enforcing the law. Per the first letter Axios sees.
- “This law [OMB] Develop standards for government agencies to remove TikTok and its successor applications from government devices within 60 days. Unfortunately, your agency has yet to see any signs of progress in developing these standards,” he wrote Hawley.
Important reasons: Hawley and other members of Congress want to ban TikTok from the US entirely. The way governments enforce the ban on their own devices sets a precedent for further action.
- More than 10 state governments have banned apps on government-issued devices, and universities have banned their use on Wi-Fi networks.
- TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance, face criticism and pressure The company is seeking approval from the U.S. Foreign Investment Commission for plans to protect data of U.S. users.
detail: Hawley will provide OMB by February 5 with guidance circulated on the Act, a description of how OMB measures government compliance with the law, and updates OMB receives from intelligence agencies. I hope out.
Be smart: US is far from passing a complete TikTok ban, but Hawley and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Ohio) submitted the bill on Wednesday This prohibits trading with ByteDance, a TikTok company.
- Sen. Mark Warner (D., Virginia) says he is considering proposing legislation to ban categories of Chinese apps, including but not limited to TikTok. Previously scooped Axios.
- TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter previously said state bans on Axios were “not doing anything to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on baseless lies about TikTok.” .
Big picture: TikTok recently launched a campaign to explain its app and how it works to the press, members of the Capitol and researchers.
- According to the New York TimesTikTok executives are making the rounds at the Capitol, telling lawmakers who want to ban the app to keep user data safe.
- and according to researchers Briefed in Washington last week, TikTok has more fully outlined its plans to keep U.S. user data from leaving the country through a comprehensive program managed by Oracle.
