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Having TikTok on a device issued by the federal government is about to become illegal under a sprawling spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year released by lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday. It is expected to become law in the coming days to avert a partial government shutdown.
While the Chinese-owned app is already not allowed on many federal government devices, the measure in the new spending bill expands the prohibition. The ban will likely result in a hit to TikTok’s reputation at a time when the Biden administration is still attempting to complete a national security review of the popular app.
TikTok is used by more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone, and its ability to create instant viral hits has put it at the forefront of internet culture, though concerns about data security have long dogged the app.
If you count yourself among its users and you’re wondering how this crackdown might affect you, here is what you need to know: Is this going to affect my use of TikTok?
Probably not — unless you’re a federal government employee who uses a work phone to browse TikTok. The White House, the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department already prohibit staff from having TikTok on government-issued devices, so this ban just extends the rule for all U.S. government employees. More than a dozen states have passed similar TikTok bans for devices issued by state governments. Why did the ban happen?
Republicans and Democrats alike have long taken aim at TikTok, since it is owned by Beijing-based tech behemoth ByteDance. Lawmakers worry about the Chinese Communist Party using the app to spy on Americans, or using the app’s algorithm to amplify pro-China narratives.
While the company denies it would ever be used for nefarious purposes, national security experts say China-based businesses usually have to give unfettered access to the authoritarian regime if information is ever sought.
Former President Trump tried — and failed — to outright ban TikTok. And federal lawmakers have proposed more punitive anti-TikTok bills that have not gained traction.
So the ban on federal government devices is an incremental restriction: Most drastic measures have not advanced, since the efforts lacked the political will, or courts intervened to stop them.
“I think some concern about TikTok is warranted,” said Julian McAuley, a professor of computer science at the University of California San Diego, who noted that the main difference between TikTok and other social media apps is that TikTok is much more driven by user-specific recommendations.
