(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Since late November, several Republican governors have banned TikTok from state-issued devices.
South Dakota Republican Governor Kirsti Noem issued an executive order in late November banning TikTok from all government-issued devices over speculation that the app is used by China to gather personal information on Americans.
Noem’s Executive Order 2022-10 would ban government employees, agencies, and contractors from downloading the app onto their devices or visiting the website.
In a statement announcing the move, Governor Noem criticized the Chinese Communist Party, saying South Dakota “will have no part in the intelligence gather operations of nations who hate us.”
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster followed suit on December 5, issuing a notice barring the use of the app on state-issued devices citing privacy and national security concerns.
The Republican governors of Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas have issued similar directives banning TikTok from state devices.
While the White House has remained mum on the potential risks of TikTok, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation banning the app.
In early November, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI) announced new legislation to ban TikTok from operating in the United States entirely. And on Saturday, the Daily Caller reported that the House Republican conference is preparing legislation banning federal employees from using TikTok.
During a speech last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray admitted that the FBI is concerned that the popular video-sharing app may be a threat to national security since the Chinese government can control the app’s algorithm.
TikTok and its parent company, the Chinese-based ByteDance, have denied that the app is a threat to national security.
Responding to Director Wray’s remarks, TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said the FBI’s input is being considered in negotiations between TikTok and the federal government. She maintained that TikTok, Inc., which provides the app in the US, is a US-based company bound by US laws.
