Wednesday’s unanimous vote in the Senate approved a bill to ban TikTok from government-issued devices.

Why it matters: In response to FBI warnings that the Chinese government could be spying on and conducting “influence operations,” a growing number of states have banned state employees and contractors access to the popular social media app.

Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary, stated last month that the app raises “legitimate national security concern” for the U.S.

One of the five Federal Communications Commission commissioners has called for an entire national TikTok ban.

1776 Coalition Sponsored STOP THE RADICAL LEFT FROM TAKING OVER IN 2026 As a retired Marine Corps General with nearly 50 years of service to the USA, I’m telling you to never underestimate our adversary. Contrary to media reports, they’ve got a plan to sabotage GOP efforts and distract you. They want you to abandon America’s Golden Age. Don’t let them succeed. Stand with me, Jack Bergman, and let’s defeat the left on Capitol Hill!

The big picture: TikTok’s ownership is held by Bytedance, a Chinese company. This is due to China’s party-state system.

TikTok doesn’t have any operations in China. However, the company does not store U.S. users’ data in China.

Oracle started vetting TikTok’s content moderation models and algorithms earlier in the year to make sure they aren’t being manipulated by Chinese authorities.

It is worth noting that TikTok has reached an agreement with Council on Foreign Investment in America, an interagency panel that reviews transactions involving foreign investments to account for national security concerns. This committee determines whether the firm can either be divested to an American corporation or remain operational in the U.S.

Next: The legislation authored by Senator Josh Hawley (R.Mo.). Now, it’s on to the House.