A TikTok ban on government devices was passed Monday in the House 336-71 as an amendment to the $741 billion National Defense Authorization Act.
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., proposed it and it will apply to members of Congress and their staffers amid intelligence saying the Chinese company ByteDance that owns TikTok is subject to giving data and information to the Chinese Communist Party.
Buck said TikTok is a "serious national security threat" because the app "could be used in a cyberattack against our republic," according to Politico.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested President Donald Trump is considering banning the app nationwide, because Americans should use that app "only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," Pompeo said.
The Senate will take up a similiar TikTok banning bill this week from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Amid the talk of bans and sharing Americans' personal data with the Chinese government, TikTok is planning to add about 10,000 jobs in the United States over the next three years, the company said Tuesday.
The company is also considering London among other locations for setting up its headquarters. TikTok now has about 1,400 employees in the United States, up from less than 500 in January this year, it said.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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