Utah governor says TikTok presents ‘threat’ to cybersecurity, issues ban on state-owned devices – St George News
File photo of Gov. Spencer Cox speaking during the ribbon-cutting event for the Cedar City Business and Innovation Center, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
ST. GEORGE — Gov. Spencer J. Cox has issued an executive order to prohibit the use of TikTok on all state-owned electronic devices. This order will take effect immediately, according to a news release issued by the governor’s office.
The order states that agency or agency employees may not, on any state-owned electronic device, download or use the TikTok application or visit any TikTok website. The executive order applies to all state executive branch agencies. “State-owned electronic device” includes a state-owned mobile phone, laptop, tablet or other electronic device.
“China’s access to data collected by TikTok presents a threat to our cybersecurity,” Cox said in the press release. “As a result, we’ve deleted our TikTok account and ordered the same on all state-owned devices. We must protect Utahns and make sure that the people of Utah can trust the state’s security systems.”
TikTok has more than 100 million users in the United States and is owned and operated by ByteDance, a company headquartered in China. Chinese national security laws allow the Chinese government to compel companies headquartered in China to provide it with data, which may include the personal data, intellectual property, or proprietary information of users in the United States and Utah.
Because of these practices, the FBI, Federal Communications Commission and a growing number of elected officials have raised concerns about security risks.
You can find the full executive order at this link.
Gloss