Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday ordered state agencies to ban the use of social media platform TikTok on government-issued devices over concerns about how the owned app to China handles US infrastructure data and other sensitive information.
“TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices – including when, where and how they conduct internet activities – and offers this wealth of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government,” Abbott said in a letter. to state officials on Wednesday. .
TikTok has come under intense scrutiny from state and federal authorities over concerns that US data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sued TikTok on Wednesday for allegedly misleading users about the Chinese government’s ability to access their data and show mature content to minors. This is the first state lawsuit against the app.
On Tuesday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced a similar ban on TikTok, as well as Chinese tech makers like Huawei and ZTE, from using for state affairs.
The TikTok logo is seen on a cellphone on October 14, 2022 in Boston.
Michael Dwyer/AP, FILE
In a statement responding to Hogan’s ban, TikTok said in a statement to ABC News: “We believe the concerns driving these decisions are largely fueled by misinformation about our business. We are happy to continue to have meaningful meetings with state decision makers to discuss our privacy and security practices.We are disappointed that many state agencies, offices, and universities can no longer use TikTok to build communities and connect with voters.”
Last month, a Federal Communications Commission commissioner called on the US government to ban the social media platform.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a “Get Out The Vote” rally at Fuzzy’s Pizza & Italian Cafe, October 27, 2022, in Katy, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The Biden administration and TikTok have drafted a preliminary deal to address national security concerns posed by the app, but hurdles remain in the negotiations, The New York Times reported in September.
TikTok says it stores US user data outside of China and has never removed US posts from the platform at the request of the Chinese government.
Recent news reports have questioned the security of user data.
Buzzfeed reported in June that China-based TikTok engineers had gained access to intimate information about US users, such as phone numbers. Forbes reported in October that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, intended to use the app to access information about certain users.
The Trump administration attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, ultimately calling on ByteDance to sell the app to an American company. However, the sale never took place.
