Various governments in the United States are coming together to ban the use of applications like TikTok on the phones of public officials. The governments fear that these types of applications could be used by China to spy on officials, which would mean a major security breach.
Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland, said the move will also affect other China-based platforms. The ban on the app was carried out through an emergency directive alleging that TikTok could be used for government surveillance.
“There may be no greater threat to our personal security and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that underpin our daily lives. To further protect our systems, we are issuing this emergency directive against foreign actors and organizations that seek to weaken and divide us,” Hogan said.
Maryland is not the only state to apply this type of policy since almost a week before Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota, prohibited both contractors and state employees from accessing TikTok. from phones for official use.
For his part, Henry McMaster, governor of South Carolina, requested a similar measure this Monday, while Pete Ricketts, governor of Nebraska, managed to block TikTok, in 2020, from state electronic devices.
“It’s a risk that most governments are beginning to realize is not worth taking,” said Holden Triplett, co-founder of Trenchcoat Advisors, a cybersecurity firm.
The accusations against TikTok and the handling it gives to the personal information of its users in the United States has been the subject of debate for many months.. However, those responsible for the application have taken it upon themselves to deny these rumors without achieving much success.
Despite this, the success of TikTok has been exponential both in the United States and in the rest of the world, to the point that it is considered one of the most active and largest social networks in the world.
Jamal Brown, a spokesman for TikTok, said that the fear surrounding the app is mainly due to the misinformation and ignorance that currently prevails about the application.
“We are always happy to meet with state policy makers to discuss our privacy and security practices. We are disappointed that many state agencies, offices and universities that have been using TikTok to build communities and connect with citizens will no longer have access to our platform,” Brown said.
This may also interest you:
– TikTok will prohibit those under 18 years of age from making live broadcasts
– Indiana files two lawsuits against TikTok for allegedly enabling Chinese spying
– TikTok will soon launch an adult mode: what the company has said about the new feature
Source: La Opinion
