By Ryan Nobles and Dareh Gregorian -
NBC News
Lawmakers and staff must remove the TikTok social networking app from any House-issued mobile phone and are prohibited from downloading it to such devices, according to an internal memo obtained by NBC News on Tuesday.
The memo, sent Tuesday by Catherine L. Szpindor, administrative director of the lower house, says the ban comes after her office's cybersecurity unit found TikTok to be a
"high risk to users due to a number of security risks.
[Employees of TikTok's parent company illegally spied on journalists]
All lawmakers and employees were ordered to remove the app from their phones.
The TikTok booth at the Tokyo Game Show on September 17. Stanislav Kogiku/Sipa via AP
“Lower House staff may NOT download the TikTok app on any House mobile device,” the memo read.
“If you have the TikTok app on your Chamber-issued mobile device, you will be contacted to remove it.”
A representative for TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
[FBI director raises US national security concerns over TikTok use]
A measure banning TikTok on some government devices was included in the $1.7 trillion general spending bill that Congress passed last week.
The provision included a ban on this app and any others provided by TikTok's parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, on all Executive Branch devices;
it did not apply to members of Congress and their staff.
They propose a law to prohibit the use of TikTok in the US and worry merchants
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The House directive does not apply to the Senate, where some members, including Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, have called for the app to be banned entirely in the United States.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned members of Congress after the midterm elections that
the Chinese government could use TikTok to control users' devices for influence or espionage purposes.
The company said last week that it was working to “significantly address any safety concerns that have been raised at both the federal and state levels.
These plans have been developed under the supervision of our nation's leading national security agencies, plans that we have made great progress in implementing, to further secure our platform in the United States, and we will continue to inform lawmakers about it."
