China criticizes the US for Banning TikTok on Government Gadgets

Once federal employees were instructed to remove the video app TikTok from government-issued phones, China accused the US of overreacting.

The White House gave government organizations 30 days starting on Monday to make sure that employees’ personal devices did not contain the Chinese-owned app.

The order comes after recent actions taken in a similar manner by the EU and Canada.

China’s foreign ministry issued an accusation against the US of using state authority improperly to repress foreign businesses.

During a news briefing on Tuesday, spokeswoman Mao Ning stated, “We absolutely reject their improper conduct.The US government should stop restricting businesses, uphold the values of a free market and competitiveness, and create an environment that is welcoming to international businesses operating there.”

She continued, “How unsure of itself can the world’s top superpower like the US be to fear young people’s favorite app like that?”

The popular video-sharing software, which is controlled by the Chinese company ByteDance, has recently raised concerns among Western politicians.

Australia claimed, however, that it had not heard any advice from its intelligence services advising it to imitate the US, the EU, or Canada.

Several intelligence services are concerned that when the app is downloaded to government devices, critical data could be exposed due to claims that TikTok captures user data and gives it to the Chinese government.

The company asserts that its business practices are the same as those of other social media companies and that it would never submit to a request to transfer data.

In order to preserve sensitive data, US Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young ordered agencies to remove the app from all state-issued phones on Monday.

According to the agency, the recommendations represent “a crucial step forward in addressing the threats presented by the app to sensitive government data.”

TikTok has already been blocked from some federal agencies’ devices, including the White House, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State.

The Biden administration’s “ongoing commitment to defending our digital infrastructure and safeguarding the security and privacy of the American people” was highlighted by this action, according to US Government Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha.

The decision on Tuesday comes after US House of Representatives legislation was approved in December that forbade the use of TikTok on government-issued phones and granted the White House 60 days to provide agency directions.

Meanwhile, additional legislation that would grant President Joe Biden the authority to impose a national app ban is anticipated to be passed by congressional Republicans in the coming weeks.

A representative for TikTok told the BBC, “We hope that Congress would investigate solutions that won’t have the effect of silencing the voices of millions of Americans when it comes to resolving national security concerns about TikTok beyond government equipment.

Beginning on Tuesday, Canada will also impose a new restriction on the app on smartphones used by the government. The software offered “an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” the chief information officer of the nation said after reviewing it.

The modification was necessary, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, because of the level of security concerns around the app.

At a press conference on Monday near Toronto, he stated, “This may be the first step, this may be the only step we need to do.”

Following the European Commission’s decision from last week, the European Parliament also authorized a ban on the app on employee phones.

The prohibitions, according to a representative for TikTok, were decided “without any discussion” and amounted to “nothing more than political theater,” the spokesperson told the BBC.