Josh Hawley to Urge Senate to Pass Bill Banning TikTok on Government Devices

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Wednesday will call on the Senate to take action and pass a bill banning TikTok on government devices.

The Missouri Republican is expected to ask for unanimous consent on his bill, which would “prohibit certain individuals from downloading or using TikTok on any device issued by the United States or a government corporation.” This bill was unanimously passed in the Senate in August 2020 but it has since been reintroduced.

The bill, specifically, states that “no employee of the United States, officer of the United States, Member of Congress, congressional employee, or officer or employee of a government corporation may download or use TikTok or any successor application developed by ByteDance or any entity owned by ByteDance on any device issued by the United States or a government corporation.”

This rule, however, would have exceptions and would not apply to investigations or cybersecurity research activities, for example.

Some individual states have already taken action on TikTok. In November, for example, South Dakota Kristi Noem (R) signed an executive order banning the app from state government devices. 

“South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us,” she said in a statement, explaining that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses the information gleaned from TikTok to “manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform.”

She continued:

The order takes effect immediately and would apply to employees and agencies of the State of South Dakota, including persons and entities who contract with the state, commissions, and authorities or agents thereof. The order prohibits downloading or using the TikTok application or visiting the website on state-owned or state-leased electronic devices capable of internet connectivity.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced earlier this month that he was seeking to ban TikTok from government devices over security concerns, citing law enforcement and national security officials who have warned of the threats that the Chinese-owned app poses to users and the country.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) have taken similar steps. 

A Rasmussen Reports survey released last week found that most voters believe the CCP could be using the app to “collect sensitive national security information from U.S. government employees” and support congressional action on the matter.