A few weeks ago, the TikTok ban on all government-owned phones in the United States Congress went into effect. Now, more states within the country are joining in the ban on the viral video sharing application. According to available reports, over 24 states have also placed a ban on TikTok.
Why is the United States government at different levels making moves to ban this application? The bans all have to do with an acclaimed security threat that the TikTok app poses to the US government. States placing a ban on TikTok are acting based on this claim that the social media platform is a security threat.
Worthy of note is the fact that the ban only affects devices that are owned by the United States government. People living in the US still have access to TikTok on their personal devices. Those using government-issued devices will not be able to access TikTok while using the device.
This gives liberty to over two-thirds of American teens that use TikTok daily. ByteDance has reacted to the TikTok ban as a “political bandwagon” to label its app a threat. TikTok stands its ground, refuting claims that it is a threat to the security of the United States government.