White House: No more TikTok on government devices
The Office of Management and Budget said this is a "critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data."
LEARN MOREPosted: 10:37 a.m. EDT Jul 4, 2023
Delta Air Lines is banning TikTok on employees' personal cell phones if those same devices are used to access any work-related programs.
The move follows a similar rule from Southwest Airlines that prohibited the use of TikTok across its network. Southwest did not, however, impose the rule across personal devices used by its employees.
In a memo reviewed by The Points Guy, and confirmed to TPG by multiple airline employees, Delta cited a U.S. rule that government contractors cannot have TikTok — or any program owned by parent company ByteDance — on devices used to conduct government work.
Employees with devices that access any Delta systems have until end-of-day Friday to remove the app, according to TPG. Devices using work systems refer to anything relating to Delta, including the employee intranet, but also email, scheduling and other programs that many employees use on their personal phones.
It is not clear whether Delta will continue to use its TikTok social media channel. In the case of Southwest, the airline said it will continue to post via its social channel through devices that do not access work systems, according to a copy of the memo posted by Gary Leff.
Scripps News has reached out to Delta for comment.
The Chinese-owned social media app has faced increased scrutiny over security concerns. The White House called the ban on government devices a "critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data."
A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 50% of Americans fully supported the idea of the U.S. government banning the app.
Montana became the first state to ban TikTok entirely in May.
