Des Moines, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds has banned state employees from using TikTok on state-owned devices and state agencies are prohibited from subscribing or owning a TikTok account.
TikTok is the Chinese-owned social media app. It has been downloaded 220 million times in the United States.
Reynolds calls TikTok a national security risk. Reynolds says the safety of Iowans is her number one priority and that includes cybersecurity. The director of the FBI has warned the Chinese government could use the app to collect data on Americans.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued an executive order on TikTok at the end of November and eight other Republican governors have announced similar moves since then.
On December 13th, Florida Republican Marco Rubio introduced a bill in the United States Senate that would impose a nationwide ban on TikTok or any other social media company under the control of China or Russia.
A TikTok spokesperson says these policies are based on unfounded, politically charged falsehoods about the app. The Beijing based company that owns TikTok announced in June it was moving all data from U.S. users to computer servers in the United States that are owned by a Texas company.
The Trump Administration’s attempt to ban TikTok in the U.S. faltered in the courts. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Biden Administration negotiations with TikTok about its U.S. presence have been delayed due to security concerns.
