Current:Home > MarketsMaryland is the latest state to ban TikTok in government agencies -WealthSpot
Maryland is the latest state to ban TikTok in government agencies
View
Date:2025-04-24 18:57:46
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Maryland is banning the use of TikTok and certain China and Russia-based platforms in the state's executive branch of government, Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday, the latest state to address cybersecurity risks presented by the platforms.
The Republican governor announced an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the platforms' use, saying they could be involved in cyberespionage, government surveillance and inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information.
"There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives," Hogan said in a statement, adding: "To further protect our systems, we are issuing this emergency directive against foreign actors and organizations that seek to weaken and divide us."
The Maryland directive comes a week after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, also a Republican, banned state employees and contractors from accessing TikTok on state-owned devices, citing its ties to China. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, also a Republican, on Monday asked the state's Department of Administration to ban TikTok from all state government devices it manages. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts blocked TikTok on state electronic devices in August 2020.
The U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.
"It is a risk that most governments are starting to realize it's not worth taking," said Trenchcoat Advisors co-founder Holden Triplett, a former FBI government official who worked in Beijing and counterintelligence.
While there has been much debate about whether the Chinese government is actively collecting TikTok data, Triplett said the app poses a clear vulnerability. Because TikTok's owner, ByteDance, is a Chinese company, it would have to comply with any potential requests from Chinese security and intelligence requests to hand over data, which could include employee's location and contacts, he said.
ByteDance moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok has struggled to detect ads that contain blatant misinformation about U.S. elections, according to a recent report from nonprofit Global Witness and the Cybersecurity for Democracy team at New York University.
But TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown said the concerns driving bans "are largely fueled by misinformation about our company."
"We are always happy to meet with state policymakers to discuss our privacy and security practices," Brown said. "We are disappointed that the many state agencies, offices, and universities that have been using TikTok to build communities and connect with constituents will no longer have access to our platform."
TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas, based in Los Angeles, has said the company protects all American users' data and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.
Also Tuesday, Wisconsin's Republican representatives in Congress called on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to delete the video platform TikTok from all state government devices, calling it a national security threat.
"Wisconsinites expect their governor to be aware of the dangerous national security threats TikTok poses and to protect them from this avenue for CCP intelligence operations," U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, Tom Tiffany, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil and Scott Fitzgerald said in a letter.
Gallagher last month joined with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, in writing an opinion piece calling for governments to ban TikTok.
Evers' spokesperson Britt Cudaback said the administration takes cybersecurity threats "very seriously" and regularly consults with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and counterintelligence specialists when making decisions about state government devices.
"We will continue to defer to the judgment and advice of law enforcement, cybersecurity, and counterintelligence experts regarding this and other evolving cybersecurity issues," Cudaback said.
Former President Donald Trump issued blanket-style orders against Chinese tech companies, but the White House under President Joe Biden has replaced them with a narrower approach. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns.
A researcher with the conservative Heritage Foundation last month called on government officials to ban TikTok from operating entirely in the United States. And last week, FBI Director Chris Wray said China could use the app to collect data on its users that could be used for traditional espionage operations.
Still, some experts say the threat is overstated. In a Nov. 14 commentary for the Strategic Technologies Program, former diplomat and cybersecurity expert James A. Lewis said TikTok's national security risk is "easily exaggerated."
"Intelligence agencies routinely scrape social media to collect biographical information and do not need ownership of TikTok (or any other social media platform) to do this," Lewis wrote. "The question is, how much more does China obtain by having access to TikTok data that is not publicly available? There is probably some benefit, but it is likely small."
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- International screenwriters organize 'Day of Solidarity' supporting Hollywood writers
- New Jersey Joins Other States in Suing Fossil Fuel Industry, Claiming Links to Climate Change
- Jamie Foxx Takes a Boat Ride in First Public Appearance Since Hospitalization
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Trisha Paytas Announces End of Podcast With Colleen Ballinger Amid Controversy
- Oil Companies Are Eying Federal Climate Funds to Expand Hydrogen Production. Will Their Projects Cut Emissions?
- How Kyra Sedgwick Made Kevin Bacon's 65th Birthday a Perfect Day
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- With affirmative action gutted for college, race-conscious work programs may be next
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Indigenous Leaders in Texas Target Global Banks to Keep LNG Export Off of Sacred Land at the Port of Brownsville
- Geraldo Rivera, Fox and Me
- On The Global Stage, Jacinda Ardern Was a Climate Champion, But Victories Were Hard to Come by at Home
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- States Have Proposals, But No Consensus, On Curbing Water Shortages In Colorado River Basin
- Inside Clean Energy: Solid-State Batteries for EVs Make a Leap Toward Mass Production
- Collin Gosselin Speaks Out About Life at Home With Mom Kate Gosselin Before Estrangement
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Some cancer drugs are in short supply, putting patients' care at risk. Here's why
Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Tesla among 436,000 vehicles recalled. Check car recalls here.
Ex-Starbucks manager awarded $25.6 million in case tied to arrests of 2 Black men
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Gambling, literally, on climate change
With Fossil Fuel Companies Facing Pressure to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Private Equity Is Buying Up Their Aging Oil, Gas and Coal Assets
A watershed moment in the west?