US Governors Order Emergency State Bans

Millions of Americans use the popular video-sharing app TikTok. However, it is also owned by a Chinese business that is suspected of having accessed the information of US consumers there. The app has currently been banned by a number of governors.

The use of TikTok on phones and other devices owned by the state of South Dakota is prohibited by an executive order that was issued by Governor Kristi Noem (R) at the end of November. Several states with Republican governors soon followed suit.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) issued a similar order on December 5 forbidding employees in his state from using it on their devices. He clarified that he issued the EO to safeguard the state’s vital cyber infrastructure against both local and foreign threats.

TikTok was mentioned in an emergency order issued by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) on December 6 to safeguard the state from “Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms.”

On December 7, Texas became the fourteenth state to outlaw using the social media app on government-issued devices. Republicans are requesting the same thing from Democratic governors in other states, but none of them have gotten on board yet.

Gov. Henry McMaster said on Twitter, “Today I took action to block access to TikTok on state government devices. Law enforcement and national security officials have warned us that TikTok poses a clear and present danger to its users, and this further protects our state’s critical cyber infrastructure.”

“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,” Governor Larry Hogan posted.