Kentucky joins growing list of states banning TikTok from state-owned devices

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky has joined the growing list of states that have banned government employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices.

Congress also recently banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued devices over bipartisan concerns about security.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. It has been targeted by critics who say the Chinese government could access user data, such as browsing history and location. U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.

"In China, they have laws that say if the government wants to access your data because you're a Chinese company, then you have to turn that data over to them," said Jeff Chandler, CEO of Z-Jak Technologies.

The policy in the employee handbook states agencies and staff shall not use state IT resources to:

"Use an application or otherwise access the Social Media site owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Limited or its successors commonly known as “Tik Tok,” other than for a law enforcement purpose."

TikTok is consumed by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second-most popular domain in the world.

Two bills introduced in Kentucky, House Bill 124 and Senate Bill 20, would ban TikTok from state government technology by creating a new section of KRS Chapter 61 to prohibit the app on "any state government network or any state government-issued devices," and implement controls to block access to the app on state government-issued devices or any state government network. Additionally, they would allow the judicial branch of state government to implement its own ban and restrictions of the app.

There’s long been bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

"If you work for the government, if you work for the military, think about the kinds of information you might have on your phone," Chandler said. "So now you've given that information over to another government that could potentially use that for espionage. Either corporate espionage or government espionage against the United States."

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump and his administration sought to ban dealings with TikTok’s owner, force it to sell off its U.S. assets and remove it from app stores. Courts blocked Trump’s efforts to ban TikTok, and President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s orders after taking office but ordered an in-depth study of the issue. A planned sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets was shelved.

In Congress, concern about the app has been bipartisan. Congress last month banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued devices over bipartisan concerns about security.

The Senate in December approved a version of the TikTok ban authored by conservative Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a vocal critic of big tech companies.

But Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Illinois has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit TikTok from operating in the U.S. altogether, and the measure approved by Congress in December had the support of Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.