Georgia has banned the usage of TikTok, WeChat, and Telegram on government-owned units. Governor Brian Kemp introduced the ban on Thursday. Kemp mentioned these apps pose nationwide safety dangers as their Chinese language and Russian homeowners might entry American customers’ private data. They might hand over the info to their respective governments for spying functions.
This ban will apply to all authorities companies in addition to state schools and universities in Georgia. Some companies have already swung into motion, deleting their TikTok accounts. The Division of Transportation, which was some of the energetic state authorities companies on TikTok, posted a farewell video inside an hour of Kemp’s announcement, the Related Press (AP) experiences. It had practically 3,000 followers and had posted greater than 80 movies since October final yr.
The brand new report provides that not less than 20 public Georgia schools and universities have TikTok accounts. Some even run a number of accounts, together with Valdosta State College, which has at least eight. These instructional establishments use the platform for varied functions, together with courting “potential new college students and speaking with present college students and athletic followers”. However the newest directive from the governor implies that should cease utilizing TikTok, in addition to WeChat and Telegram, on government-owned mobiles and computer systems.
There shall be some exceptions, although. Andrew Isenhour, a spokesperson for the Georgia governor, informed the AP that legislation enforcement companies and prosecutors can entry these banned apps with particular permission. Georgia Expertise Authority has issued a suggestion detailing the exceptions and different laws relating to this ban.
“The state of Georgia has a accountability to stop any try to entry and infiltrate its safe information and delicate data by overseas adversaries such because the CCP [Chinese Communist Party],” Kemp wrote in a memo. “As such, it’s our responsibility to take motion to protect the security and safety of our state towards the CCP, entities it controls, and different overseas cyberthreats.”
Georgia joins a number of US states to ban TikTok
Georgia is not less than the eleventh US state to ban TikTok from government-owned units. Native governments in Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah have all introduced comparable bans on the favored short-form video app. The US armed forces have additionally prohibited TikTok on army units. FBI Director Chris Wray earlier this month mentioned that the app could possibly be used to spy on Individuals. Indiana, in the meantime, sued the Chinese language platform final week, for violating safety and youngster security legal guidelines.
The US Senate handed a invoice to ban TikTok within the nation in 2020, but it surely by no means handed the Home of Representatives. The Senate voted once more this week to bar federal staff from utilizing the app. The Home should go the invoice inside the present congressional session earlier than it goes to President Joe Biden for approval. Members of the Home and Senate have additionally filed matching payments in an try to completely ban TikTok and different apps influenced by China, Russia, North Korea, and some extra nations within the US. They’ve cited comparable nationwide safety considerations.
TikTok, in the meantime, has at all times pleaded innocence. Its guardian firm ByteDance moved its headquarters from China to Singapore in 2020 to alleviate safety considerations. The corporate additionally now shops information of American customers in Oracle’s servers inside the US. It claims that the Chinese language authorities has no entry to its information and that these bans are “fueled by misinformation”. We’ll now have to attend and see what comes out of the brand new Senate invoice.