US bans TikTok on federal government devices

In brief

The US has banned the use of TikTok on all federal government devices following approval of a $1.7tn (£1.4tn) spending bill  which features a provision to outlaw the short-form video app.

Government agencies will implement the ban over the coming months.

The US House of Representatives has already been ordered by its chief administration officer to ban the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, on all devices it issues.

Last month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US House and Senate introduced legislation to ban TikTok nationwide over mounting concerns the app presents a national security threat.