“Security risks”: TikTok is now banned in the US House of Representatives

According to media reports, the US House of Representatives is banning the Chinese TikTok app on official mobile phones of MPs and their associates.

Cyber ​​specialists had discovered that the app contained “a number of security risks”, US media quoted an internal memo from the administration on Tuesday (local time). MPs and employees are no longer allowed to download the app on their business mobile phones or must remove it from their mobile phones, broadcasters NBC and CBS report, citing the internal letter.

Last week, the US Congress passed legislation banning the app on government cell phones. According to a report from CBS, US states such as Texas, Georgia, Maryland, South Dakota, South Carolina and Nebraska, as well as the US military, have instructed their personnel to stop using the app on service devices.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in early December that his agency was concerned about the app’s security. The Chinese government controls the algorithm that proposes content to users.

“It gives them the ability to manipulate the content and, if they want, use it for influencer campaigns,” Wray said at a lecture at the University of Michigan. The Chinese government also has access to the mobile phone software via the app. They can also steal user data and use it for espionage purposes. (aeg/sda/dpa)