WASHINGTON — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday signed an executive order to ban the social media app TikTok from state-issued devices in the executive branch, citing growing concerns about the security of data on the app, which is owned by a Chinese company.
The order comes as Congress and several state governments have moved to prevent TikTok on government devices, following concerns from the FBI and Federal Communications Commission that data on the app could be shared with the Chinese government.
“Today, I am taking commonsense steps to protect Kansans’ privacy and security,” Kelly, a Democrat, said. “TikTok mines users’ data and potentially makes it available to the Chinese Communist Party — a threat recognized by a growing group of bipartisan leaders across the United States.”
TikTok is a social media app that featured short videos. It uses an algorithm that predicts videos people might be interested in and is known for being a cultural trendsetter that can launch the careers of artists and influencers.
While state devices are already supposed to only be used for official business, the order will mean the end of a TikTok account for the state of Kansas. TikTok has been seen as a tool for politicians and companies to engage with a younger audience. The majority of TikTok’s 1 billion users are younger than 50.
Jamal Brown, a spokesman for TikTok, said the company is working with the federal government to address its security concerns.
“We’re disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok,” Brown said. “TikTok is loved by millions of Americans, and it is unfortunate that the many state agencies, offices, universities, student groups, and sports teams in those states will no longer be able to use TikTok to build communities and share information.”
The federal government has raised concerns that information collected by the app’s owner, ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, could potentially be used by the Chinese Communist Party. FBI Director Christopher Wray last month told Congress he believed the app was a national security threat that could be used to influence Americans or gain control of people’s devices.
The order comes a week after Congress moved to ban the app from federal government devices, following a push by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Kansas will be one of 15 states that have moved to prevent the app from being downloaded on government devices. It only applies to executive branch agencies, boards and commissions employees, and will prohibit access on the state network. It does not apply to the judicial or legislative branches and will not apply to the state’s other constitutional offices.
The order does not apply to the state’s public universities or the Kansas Board of Regents.
Jeff Maxon, Kansas’ chief information security officer, said users often aren’t aware of how much information is being collected about their usage habits and how much access an app might have to their device.
“The potential ability for a foreign government to manipulate or use the collected data, or access devices, to track or influence Kansans is concerning. Limiting or restricting the use of an application like this is a simple step we can take to reduce any potential impacts on executive branch employees and citizens.”
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