Alabama and Utah joined Tick-Tok ban
2022.12.13 02:00
Alabama and Utah joined Tick-Tok ban
Budrigannews.com – Due to concerns about national security, Alabama and Utah joined other states in the United States on Monday in prohibiting the use of the Chinese-owned short video sharing app TikTok on state government devices and computer networks.
The actions follow warnings issued by FBI Director Chris Wray last month, who stated that the Chinese government could use the ByteDance-owned app to control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations, or control data collection on millions of U.S. users.
“Disturbingly, TikTok collects a lot of data, most of which has no connection to the app’s alleged goal of sharing videos. “Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement that the use of TikTok with state IT infrastructure creates an unacceptable vulnerability to Chinese infiltration operations.”
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Additionally, her directive instructs agencies of the executive branch to take all necessary measures to prevent TikTok from gaining access to sensitive state data.
“We’re frustrated that such countless states are getting on board with that fleeting trend to establish strategies in light of unwarranted, politically charged misrepresentations about TikTok,” a TikTok representative said in an explanation.
In a tweet on Monday, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr stated that “based on the serious security threats it presents,” at least nine states have taken action against TikTok.
Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota are the other states in the United States that have outlawed TikTok on state-owned devices.
Additionally, Indiana has filed a lawsuit against the app, claiming that it is exposing children to mature content and misleading users regarding China’s access to their data.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump tried to stop new Americans from downloading WeChat and TikTok. This would have effectively stopped Americans from using these apps, but he lost a number of court battles.
President Joe Biden withdrew Trump’s executive orders in June 2021, which sought to prohibit the downloads and instructed the Commerce Department to examine the apps’ security risks.
