STORY: U.S. government agencies have 30 days to make sure TikTok is not on federal devices or systems.

That was the order given by the White House on Monday (February 27).

U.S. authorities believe the Chinese social media app could be used to spy on Americans.

Washington's move follows similar actions by the EU and Taiwan.

U.S.-neighbour Canada also blocked TikTok from government-issued devices on Monday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

“We are making the decision that for government employees, for government equipment, it is better to not have them access TikTok because of the concerns that people have in terms of safety."

ByteDance-owned TikTok has previously argued the concerns are driven by misinformation.

It has denied using the app to spy on Americans.

China's Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. decision Tuesday (February 28).

"We firmly oppose the U.S. side's wrong approach of overstretching the concept of national security, abusing national power and unreasonably suppressing the companies of other countries."

The ban does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok.

The social media giant did not immediately comment on the White House order.