Senate Votes to Ban TikTok on Government-Issued Phones

WASHINGTON—The Senate unanimously passed Thursday a bill prohibiting federal employees from using TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app, on government-issued devices as U.S. national-security concerns mount.

The measure passed through an expedited procedure that avoided a roll-call vote. The White House has been pushing for a sale of TikTok to U.S. owners, citing national-security risks amid fears that the Chinese government could exploit the personal data of users.

“In light of all we know, it is unthinkable to me that we should continue to permit federal employees, those workers entrusted with sensitive government data, to access this app on their work phones and computers,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), the sponsor of the measure, said in a statement. “If I have anything to say about it, we won’t be stopping here.”