Wisconsin and North Carolina have become the latest U.S. states to ban the popular social media app %TikTok over security concerns.
More than 20 other American states have also %BannedTikTok from being used on government-owned devices, including Ohio, New Jersey, and Arkansas.
TikTok is owned by Chinese technology company %ByteDance, and there are worries that the social media app could be used to spy on Americans and steal sensitive information.
In addition to banning Chinese-owned TikTok from state devices, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he is banning vendors, products and services from other Chinese companies including %HuaweiTechnologies and %TencentHoldings ($TCTZF), which owns WeChat.
North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper signed an order earlier in the week directing state officials to develop a policy within 14 days that prohibits the use of TikTok, WeChat and other applications that present cybersecurity risks on state government devices.
TikTok has said that is disappointed that so many U.S. states are moving to ban its app from being used by government employees and says that concerns about cybersecurity are overblown. TikTok has more than 100 million users worldwide.
Calls to ban TikTok from government devices grew louder after the FBI said in November last year that the social media app, which shows short videos, poses a national security risk.
In December, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a government funding bill that includes a ban on federal employees using or downloading TikTok on government-owned devices.
The law gives the White House Office of Management and Budget 60 days to develop guidelines for executive agencies requiring the removal of TikTok from federal devices.
Several federal lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are calling for a nationwide ban on TikTok in the U.S. that would prevent private citizens from downloading and using the popular app.
