The House Committee on Homeland Security advanced several bills on March 3 focusing on security matters in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the No TikTok on DHS Devices Act.
That bill would prohibit any DHS employees or contractor from downloading the social media app Tik Tok on government-issued devices. It would also give personnel 60 days to remove the application from their devices.
Homeland Security Committee Vice Ranking Member Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., introduced the bill earlier this week. He claimed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could embolden the Chinese Communist Party’s own expansionary goals.
Therefore, it Is crucial “to ban on DHS devices the use of apps that obtain data on their users and could make that information available to our adversaries,” he said in a press release.
The committee also advanced two other bills that would provide significant improvements and increased oversight to the DHS’ acquisition programs, including new congressional reporting requirements – the DHS Acquisition Reform Act, and the Reducing Costs of DHS Acquisitions Act.
