GOP-Led States Ban TikTok On Government Devices

A growing number of GOP-led states are barring state employees and contractors from using TikTok on government-issued devices as the FBI warns of possible threats to national security posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform. Texas became the latest to do so on Wednesday, joining South Dakota, South Carolina and Maryland, all of which banned the app on government devices in the past week. Wisconsin Republicans are urging their Democratic governor to do the same. Axios reports: '[U]nder China's 2017 National Intelligence Law, all businesses are required to assist China in intelligence work including data sharing, and TikTok's algorithm has already censored topics politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party,' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a letter to state officials Wednesday.

'There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives,' Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, whose directive also banned certain Russia-based platforms, said in a statement.

'Protecting our State's critical cyber infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats is key to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our citizens and businesses,' South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wrote in a letter requesting that the state's Department of Administration block access to the app.

'South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us,' South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said in a press release.

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