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State employees will no longer be able to use TikTok on state devices or networks after Gov. Kay Ivey issued a memo Monday calling it a security concern.
“Protecting the state of Alabama and our citizens’ right to privacy is a must, and I surely don’t take a security threat from China lightly,” Ivey said. “After we discussed this with our OIT secretary, I came to the no-brainer decision to ban the use of the TikTok app on our state devices and network. Look, I’m no TikTok user, but the evidence speaks for itself, and I want to make sure I’m doing everything we can as a state to stand against this growing security risk.”
Talks about TikTok’s China connections have been the subject of national security discussions since 2020, and Alabama is just one the latest states to ban its use by state employees.
The decision comes on the heels of a warning by FBI Chris What last month, who said the Chinese government could use the app to collect data on U.S. citizens.
Other states that have banned TikTok on state devices include Maryland, Texas, Utah and South Dakota.
