Prohibited the Use of Tiktok on State-owned Devices: Fearing for the safety of data pertaining to American infrastructure and other sensitive information, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday ordered state agencies to prohibit the use of the social media site TikTok on government-issued smartphones.
According to a letter that Abbott sent to state officials on Wednesday, “TikTok captures large amounts of data from its users’ devices,” including “when, when, and how they conduct internet activity,” and then sells this treasure of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.
Concerned that sensitive American information may get into the hands of the Chinese government, state and federal agencies have increased their inspection of TikTok. On Wednesday, Indiana’s attorney general, Todd Rokita, filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the company of misleading users about the Chinese government’s ability to access their data and of exposing minors to inappropriate material. This is the first time a state has filed a lawsuit against the app.
Indiana has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, thus the firm has sent a statement to ABC News. “The protection of our community members’ personal information and physical security is our first priority; nonetheless, we do not comment on current lawsuits.
Today, the State of Maryland is issuing an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms in state government—including TikTok.
Details: https://t.co/K6mzeR9UU7 pic.twitter.com/G5L8k8Mg93
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) December 6, 2022
Our policies are designed with the safety of children in mind, we restrict access to certain features depending on the user’s age, we give parents access to educational materials, and we’re constantly looking for innovative ways to let families enjoy content in a way that’s suitable for all members of the household.
We are also positive that we have made substantial progress in our conversations with the U.S. Government toward implementing measures that will fully satisfy all realistic U.S. national security concerns “according to the report.
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On Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland issued a ban on the use of TikTok and other Chinese technology companies, including Huawei and ZTE, for public business. TikTok issued the following statement to ABC News in reaction to Hogan’s ban: “The uncertainties that underpin these selections, we feel, are mostly fed by erroneous information about our business.
TikTok faces growing Republican backlash over security concerns in the U.S https://t.co/gpD3i6HQHN
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) December 8, 2022
We appreciate the positive dialogue we have been having with state officials over our privacy and security procedures. We regret that many state departments, offices, and educational institutions will no longer be able to use TikTok to foster community and foster relationships with their respective audiences.”
The 1st responsibility of government is the security of its people.
I signed an EO to ban the use of TikTok by SD’s government agencies & employees. TikTok can’t be accessed on state-owned or state-leased devices.
This will secure South Dakotans’ data.https://t.co/1WL7oLBfhg
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) December 6, 2022
Just last month, a member of the Federal Communications Commission urged the federal government of the United States to outright ban the social media service. According to a New York Times article from September, the Biden administration and TikTok drafted a tentative deal to address national security issues posed by the app, but negotiations have since hit roadblocks.
According to TikTok, it has never been asked by the Chinese authorities to delete any content from the service because it originated in the United States. In June, Buzzfeed revealed that Chinese developers working for TikTok had obtained private information about American users, including their phone numbers.
I’ve banned TikTok on state issued devices.
I’m also calling for legislation to make the ban permanent and to broaden the ban.
As I detail in my letter and press release, the threat posed by the CCP through TikTok is serious and must be stopped.https://t.co/X4kkFfCDq3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 7, 2022
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance reportedly planned to utilise the app to obtain information on some users, as revealed by Forbes in October. TikTok was targeted by the Trump administration for a ban in 2020, prompting ByteDance to sell the app to a domestic buyer. The deal, however, fell through.
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