The U.S. Senate votes to bar federal employees from using TikTok

Shafaq News/ The U.S. Senate voted to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices.

The U.S. House of Representatives must still approve the bill before going to President Joe Biden for approval.

In 2020, the U.S. Senate approved legislation prohibiting TikTok from government devices. The bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Josh Hawley, reintroduced it in legislation in 2021.

Many federal agencies, including the Defense, Homeland Security, and State departments already ban TikTok from government-owned devices. Reuters reported.

TikTok has said the concerns are fueled mainly by misinformation and are happy to meet with policymakers to discuss the company's practices.

"We're disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States," Reuters quoted the Chinese-owned company as saying.