Alabama and Utah follow in the Footsteps of Banning TikTok From Use on US Government-owned Devices

The Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, has banned the use of TikTok. (photo: Twitter @GovernorKayIvey)

JAKARTA - Alabama and Utah on Monday, December 13, joined other US states in banning the use of China's short video-sharing app, TikTok, on state government devices and computer networks due to national security concerns.

The move follows a warning from FBI Director Chris Wray last month that said the Chinese government could use ByteDance's apps to control the collection of data on millions of US users or control recommendation algorithms, which could be used to influence operations.

"Disturbingly, TikTok harvests massive amounts of data, much of which has no legitimate connection to the video-sharing application's purposes. Use of TikTok that engages the nation's IT infrastructure creates unacceptable vulnerabilities to Chinese infiltration operations," said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in a statement, quoted by Reuters.

Protecting Alabamians' right to privacy is a must, and I surely don’t take a security threat from China lightly.

That's why I have banned the use of the TikTok app on our state devices and network. #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/wS3F3V336h

— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) December 13, 2022

The directive also orders executive branch agencies to take all necessary steps to prevent TikTok from accessing sensitive state data.

"We are disappointed that so many states are jumping on the bandwagon to enact policies based on baseless and politically charged lies about TikTok," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a tweet last Monday that at least nine states had taken action against TikTok "based on the serious security threat it poses".

Other US states that have banned TikTok on state devices include Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota.

Indiana is also suing the app, alleging it deceives users about China's access to their data and exposes children to adult content.

Former US President Donald Trump in 2020 attempted to block new US users from downloading WeChat and TikTok, which would have effectively blocked use of these apps in the United States, but lost a series of court battles.

In June 2021, President Joe Biden revoked Trump's executive order seeking to ban the download of TikTok and directed the Department of Commerce to conduct a review of the security concerns raised by the app.