TikTok banned in several US states over spying fears, app calls it 'unfounded falsehoods'
Indiana announced two lawsuits against TikTok accusing it of misrepresenting its approach to age-appropriate content and data security. It has also been alleged that the platform 'lured children' into content on the app that contained sexual content.
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FollowTikTok, a Chinese-owned platform, best known for short videos, is facing criticism at the state level in the United States. Members of the Senate believe that the social media platform, owned by ByteDance, may share information with the Chinese Government and spy on its users.
On Wednesday, the US Senate passed by voice vote a bill to bar federal employees from using Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok on government-owned devices. Now, several US states are banning the use of TikTok on government-managed devices, with state agencies in Louisiana and West Virginia becoming the latest to do so.
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said he banned the app on all devices his agency owns, citing security threats. West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey said he did the same for his agency.
It is reportedly said that the governors of Virginia and Georgia have also taken action against the company, with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issuing an executive order on Friday banning TikTok and Chinese social media app WeChat from state-run devices and wireless networks. Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp released a similar order, banning TikTok from state government devices.
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Around 19 of the 50 US states have now at least partially blocked TikTok access on government computers. Recently, at least seven states said they will bar public employees from using the app on government devices, including Alabama, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.
Indiana announced two lawsuits against TikTok accusing it of misrepresenting its approach to age-appropriate content and data security. It has also been alleged that the platform 'lured children' into content on the app that contained sexual content.
Last week, most Congress members proposed a nationwide ban on Tiktok, raising concerns that it is a tool that might be used for purposes that harm US national security.
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