Gov. Cox bans TikTok on all state-owned devices

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order prohibiting the use of TikTok on all state-owned devices effective immediately.

The order states that agency or agency employees may not, on any state-owned electronic device, download or use the TikTok app or visit the TikTok website in a browser.

The ban applies to all state agencies and a “state-owned device” includes any state-owned laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or other electronic devices.

“China’s access to data collected by TikTok presents a threat to our cybersecurity,” Cox said. “As a result, we’ve deleted our TikTok account and ordered the same on all state-owned devices. We must protect Utahns and make sure that the people of Utah can trust the state’s security systems.”

Utah is the latest state to ban TikTok after Nebraska, Texas, Maryland, South Dakota and South Carolina — each citing a security risk.

South Dakota governor bans state employees from using TikTok on government devices

TikTok has increased dramatically in popularity over the last five years, with over 100 million users in the United States. TikTok is owned and operated by ByteDance, a company headquartered in China.

According to the release from the governor’s office, “Chinese national security laws allow the Chinese government to compel companies headquartered in China to provide it with data, which may include the personal data, intellectual property, or proprietary information of users in the United States and Utah. Because of these practices, the FBI, FCC and a growing number of elected officials have raised concerns about security risks.”

The Utah Department of Transportation, possibly one of the most popular TikTok accounts by a state agency, had already been taken down as of Monday morning.