Maryland, has banned the use of TikTok and certain China and Russia-based platforms in the state’s executive offices, said Gov. Larry Hogan.
The state stated in announcing the emergency directive that the entities “present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, surveillance of government entities, and inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information.”
Along with TikTok, eight other foreign-based entities, including Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corp, Tencent Holdings, Tencent QQ, and AliPay, were barred from use in the state’s executive branch of government.
The Maryland directive comes just a week after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, prohibited state employees and contractors from using TikTok on state-owned devices, citing the app’s ties to China. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, requested on Monday that TikTok be removed from all state government devices managed by the state’s Department of Administration. TikTok will be blocked on state electronic devices in August 2020, according to Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.
The sources for this piece include an article in NPR.