PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Popular mobile social media software TikTok is now banned after Gov. Katie Hobb announced an executive order on Wednesday. However, the ban only applies to state devices and networks.
The ban comes after years of scrutiny and speculation over parent company ByteDance and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. The mobile software has been criticized by US officials for its data collection practices and its potential to be used by the Chinese government as a spying tool. “Data security is of the utmost importance, especially for government agencies that handle sensitive information,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes. The attorney general said it was not worth risking data disclosure to foreign companies and that a ban was necessary to protect everyone and their data.
Gov. Hobbs said steps are already being taken to conduct cybersecurity due diligence. “This is a necessary step to ensure the protection of government data and reflects our commitment to keeping Arizonans safe,” she said. State agencies have 30 days to fully comply with the requirements and have the ability to request exceptions if adequate justification is provided.
Recently, TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified during a congressional hearing last Thursday to answer questions about the company’s practices. Many lawmakers and security officials fear US data could be collected by the Chinese government. Chew said it’s possible that some employees at Beijing-headquartered ByteDance could access some US data through the application.
To allay the committee’s fears, Chew also says TikTok is currently wiping all remaining US data from servers connected to the Beijing office — there’s a China-only version of TikTok called Douyin, and the servers aren’t connected to non-Chinese markets in what the company calls “Project Texas”. Once the project is complete, Chew says there will be no US data on the servers. Currently, all US TikTok traffic is handled by the US company Oracle.
Despite his testimony, Attorney General Mayes said she was not reassured. “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,” she said.
Arizona State University recently banned the platform from school-owned devices to comply with a recent presidential executive order banning federal contractors from using the app.
Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.