Kansas became the latest state to ban TikTok on all government devices on Wednesday. This is a move Gov. Laura Kelly said was made to “protect the privacy and security of Kansas.”
“TikTok could mine user data and provide it to the Chinese Communist Party, a threat perceived by a growing group of bipartisan leaders,” said Laura Kelly of the Democratic Party. the governor tweeted.
Governors in at least a dozen other states, including Virginia, New Hampshire, Texas and Georgia, have already imposed TikTok bans on government devices.
The staggering 4,115-page blanket bill passed by Congress last week includes a ban on TikTok on government devices, which would ban TikTok on most government-issued devices.
TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown said on Wednesday that the ban was “based on unsubstantiated falsehoods” and “does nothing to advance cybersecurity,” adding that the state was “political.” I’m riding the trend of the times,” he criticized.
“We will continue to work with the federal government to finalize solutions that meaningfully address security concerns raised at the federal and state levels,” Brown told Fox Business. The plan was developed under the oversight of our top national security agency to further secure our platform in the United States, and the plan has been successfully implemented and will continue to be implemented. I will continue to explain to the legislators.”
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A growing number of lawmakers and intelligence officials have warned that TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, could share data on Americans with the Chinese Communist Party.
“TikTok is the Trojan Horse of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in a statement earlier this month. “This is a grave security risk to the United States, and it has no place in the government apparatus unless it is forced to completely cut ties with China.”
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FBI Director Christopher Wray also warned that Chinese officials could use their access to TikTok to “manipulate the content and use it for influence operations where appropriate.”
“These are all in the hands of governments that don’t share our values, and have missions that are so at odds with the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray said. Speech at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Dec. 2.
Ronn Blitzer and Adam Sabes of Fox Business contributed to this report.