video is loading…
This browser does not support the video element.
PHOENIX – Arizona governor Katie Hobbs on Wednesday issued an executive order restricting its use tick tock on government devices.
“This is a necessary step to ensure the protection of government data and reflects our commitment to keeping Arizonans safe,” Hobbs wrote in a press release. “My office is working closely with government agencies to ensure this transition is smooth.”
State authorities have 30 days to comply with the governor’s order. You can also request exceptions to the ban.
Hobbs’ Tiktok ban comes as US officials are increasingly concerned that the owner of popular Beijing-based social media platform ByteDance may give the Chinese government’s browsing history or other data about users or encourage propaganda and disinformation. The US and other nations have banned TikTok from state-owned devices, as have several states.
Most recently universities in Arizona announced a TikTok ban on school-managed devices.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the US Committee on Foreign Investment, part of Biden’s Treasury Department, has threatened to ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stake in the app.
ByteDance says it’s working to address security concerns and plans to route traffic through servers owned by Oracle, a Silicon Valley-based tech company.
Arizona AG Mayes also imposes a Tiktok ban
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 07: In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is seen displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC (Photo illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Citing concerns about potential safety risks, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on April 5 that it had banned the use of TikTok on all of the agency’s computers, phones, and tablets.
“Data security is of the utmost importance, especially for government agencies that handle sensitive information,” Mayes said. “We cannot risk the potential disclosure of our data to foreign companies. Banning TikTok on government devices is a necessary measure to protect our operations, and I urge other government agencies to take the same proactive steps to protect their privacy.”
Mayes added that she was not reassured by Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Crew recent testimony to US lawmakers. Mayes’ ban does not apply to personal devices used by employees of the attorney general’s office.
“Given the inability of TikTok’s CEO to definitively state that the Chinese government cannot access data collected from US users, I remain unconvinced that the app’s security risks have been adequately addressed,” Mayes said.