Thune targets IRS staff's use of personal devices after reported failure to comply with TikTok ban

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota is looking to probe nan Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) usage of a programme that allows immoderate labor to activity from their individual devices, aft a caller authorities study showed nan agency had not afloat complied pinch nan prohibition of TikTok connected national devices. 

The South Dakota Republican, who is nan ranking personnel of nan Subcommittee connected Taxation and IRS, introduced nan Ensuring No Devices Bear Your Own Data (END BYOD) Act connected Thursday, which would extremity nan IRS from letting unit who participate successful nan programme from accessing, processing, transmitting, aliases storing immoderate payer accusation connected their devices.

"I person been sounding nan siren connected nan IRS’s troubling history of mishandling payer information, and nan bring-your-own-device programme is getting added to that roster," Thune told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive statement. 

Sen. Thune introduced a measure to extremity nan IRS from letting labor entree delicate information pinch their individual devices, citing nan agency's precocious reported noncompliance pinch a prohibition connected TikTok. (Getty Images)

"The American group should beryllium capable to spot that their individual accusation is safe pinch nan IRS – not compromised," he emphasized. 

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In December 2023, nan Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed that nan IRS "did not update its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to comply pinch [Office Of Management And Budget] guidance" to region and disallow TikTok connected devices wrong nan timeline specified. 

Federal agencies had been fixed 30 days successful February 2023 to region TikTok from devices, and contractors had been fixed 90 to meet nan aforesaid standard. 

In consequence to nan report, Thune and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., successful January demanded answers regarding nan noncompliance from IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel successful a letter. "Not only has nan IRS grounded to comply pinch nan law, but its deficiency of action pinch respect to implementation of nan No TikTok connected Government Devices Act has perchance compromised confidential payer accusation located connected devices that person TikTok, which has adjacent ties to nan Chinese Communist Party and alarming information practices," nan senators said astatine nan time.  

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Blackburn has been an advocator of holding societal media accountable. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In a connection to Fox News Digital connected Thursday, an IRS spokesperson said, "The IRS is committed to beardown information and entree controls."

"The IRS emphasizes it has blocked entree to TikTok connected each government-issued devices," they added. 

However, nan spokesperson said, "There are a mini number of labor – successful nan hundreds and little than 1% of nan worker organization – that person entree to nan BYOD application, which is walled disconnected from different parts of nan mobile device. It is important to statement that these users are incapable to share, transcript aliases paste accusation from nan BYOD exertion onto different parts of their device."

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Signage extracurricular nan Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office successful Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Thune's measurement would specifically forestall immoderate IRS employees, volunteers aliases contractors who participate successful nan BYOD programme from handling immoderate delicate payer information connected individual devices that whitethorn besides person entree to TikTok. It was co-sponsored by Blackburn and Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

Fox News Digital has learned nan authorities is additionally supported by nan organizations Americans for Tax Reform and nan National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

The bill's leader, Thune, is notably moving to switch Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arsenic leader travel 2025 successful nan caller Congress. 

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The TikTok app logo is seen successful this illustration taken August 22, 2022.  (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo)

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Bipartisan scrutiny of TikTok has grown among lawmakers owed to it being owned by Chinese institution Bytedance, which would beryllium compelled by nan Chinese Communist Party to stock information nether Chinese law. The legislature unity connected nan rumor was evidenced by nan transition of a measurement requiring TikTok to divest from Bytedance done some nan House and nan Senate arsenic a portion of a $95 cardinal overseas assistance supplemental package that chiefly provided resources for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. 

President Biden yet signed nan package into law, giving TikTok 9 months to a twelvemonth to divest from China. If Bytedance does not waste TikTok to a non-Chinese owner, nan exertion will beryllium banned successful nan U.S., according to nan law.