<p class="title">The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill from Senator Josh Hawley banning federal employees from using video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices, amid threats from the White House to ban the company.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The app has come under fire from US lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns due to China's ByteDance owning the technology. The company currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 to either sell its US operations to Microsoft Corp or face an outright ban.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies have an obligation to support and cooperate in the country's national intelligence work.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal, offered by Representative Ken Buck.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With passage in the House and approval by the Senate, the prohibition is expected to soon become law in the United States.</p>.<p class="bodytext">TikTok has previously said its growing US team has no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects users' privacy. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Wednesday, TikTok said it was working with experts from the US Department of Homeland Security to "protect against foreign influence" and fact-check potential misinformation about the election.</p>
<p class="title">The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill from Senator Josh Hawley banning federal employees from using video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices, amid threats from the White House to ban the company.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The app has come under fire from US lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns due to China's ByteDance owning the technology. The company currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 to either sell its US operations to Microsoft Corp or face an outright ban.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies have an obligation to support and cooperate in the country's national intelligence work.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal, offered by Representative Ken Buck.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With passage in the House and approval by the Senate, the prohibition is expected to soon become law in the United States.</p>.<p class="bodytext">TikTok has previously said its growing US team has no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects users' privacy. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Wednesday, TikTok said it was working with experts from the US Department of Homeland Security to "protect against foreign influence" and fact-check potential misinformation about the election.</p>