House staffers received an email Tuesday from the Capitol’s Office of Cybersecurity stating that all apps owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, CapCut, Hypic, Lark, and Lemon8, will be removed and banned from House-managed devices. The Committee on House Administration previously banned TikTok only from House-managed devices in December 2023.
“ByteDance products will be blocked and removed on House-managed devices, starting with mobile devices,” the email said. Staffers with the apps installed on House-managed devices will be “contacted to remove” the apps, according to the email. “In the coming weeks, the CAO Office of Cybersecurity will distribute additional communications regarding the block and removal of desktop and web browser versions of ByteDance products,” the email continues. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a law banning TikTok in the United States unless the Chinese-owned ByteDance sells its stake in the company. Since former President Donald Trump’s presidency, TikTok has been of security concern to U.S. officials.