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MADISON (United States), Jan. 13 (AP) — Wisconsin on Thursday became the latest state to ban the use of TikTok on state phones and other devices, a move that comes after pushing for a federal ban and blocking nearly half of the nation’s states popular Chinese-owned social media app.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers ordered the ban after saying he had consulted with the FBI and emergency management officials. He cited potential risks to privacy, safety and security. Evers’ order applies to most state agencies, with some exceptions, such as criminal investigators who may use the app to track certain people.
“Defending our nation’s technology and cybersecurity infrastructure and protecting digital privacy will continue to be a top priority,” Evers tweeted when announcing the ban.
The University of Wisconsin system, with its 40,000 faculty members, is also exempt from this restriction. A spokesman for the system did not immediately return a message for comment on whether it would enact its own ban.
UW has many official TikTok accounts, such as the women’s volleyball account, which has more than 41,000 followers. Universities often use TikTok accounts as a recruiting tool to reach high school students.
The ban will be enforced by the state’s technology department, which has restricted the apps state employees can access on government phones.
TikTok is installed on only about a dozen national phones, according to Evers.
Evers himself does not have a personal or official TikTok account, but he did maintain one earlier this year in support of his re-election campaign. His office said the account was not used on any country-issued devices.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, the Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. Critics say the Chinese government has access to user data such as browsing history and location. The U.S. Armed Forces also banned the app from being used on military equipment.
TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second most popular domain in the world. But there have long been bipartisan concerns in Washington that Beijing would use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain data on U.S. users or try to push a pro-China narrative or misinformation.
News reports last year sparked concerns that a Chinese team had improperly accessed the data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, as part of a covert surveillance program to pinpoint the source of leaks to the media .
There are also concerns that the company is sending large amounts of user data to China, which violates strict European privacy rules.
“We are disappointed that so many states are joining the political bandwagon with policies that do not advance cybersecurity in their states and are Based on baseless lies about TikTok,” stated.
TikTok is developing a security and data privacy plan as part of an ongoing national security review under President Joe Biden’s administration.
At least 20 other states, including Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana and South Dakota, have banned the use of TikTok on government devices.
The Wisconsin ban comes after Republican members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, called on Evers to ban the app, citing concerns that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on users and conduct publicity.
Gallagher and Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced a bipartisan bill in December to ban TikTok from operating in the United States. Gallagher this week became chairman of a new House committee created with broad bipartisan support to investigate the “strategic rivalry” between the U.S. and China. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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