(Bloomberg) — The TikTok video platform has been banned on government-issued devices in Texas, adding to a growing list of states that have done the same in the past week amid concern that consumer data collected by the social-media app could be accessed by the Chinese government.
(Bloomberg) — The TikTok video platform has been banned on government-issued devices in Texas, adding to a growing list of states that have done the same in the past week amid concern that consumer data collected by the social-media app could be accessed by the Chinese government.
Governor Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies to ban its officers and employees from downloading or using TikTok on government-issued devices including cell phones, tablets and desktop computers. The announcement follows similar actions taken by South Carolina, Maryland and South Dakota over the past week.
There’s been growing concern among US and state officials over TikTok’s data collection policies and it’s relationship to the Chinese government. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.
“TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices — including when, where, and how they conduct Internet activity — and offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government,” Abbott said in a letter to state agency heads Wednesday.
Officials including US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and FBI Director Chris Wray have also raised concerns the company could be a national security threat.
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