Kemp Bans TikTok On State Devices In Georgia

GEORGIA — Gov. Brian Kemp has banned the use of TikTok, WeChat and Telegram on devices used at the executive level in Georgia, effective immediately, according to a memo released Thursday.

In the memo, Kemp cited government cybersecurity concerns as the reason for the ban.

"The State of Georgia has the responsibility to prevent any attempt to access and infiltrate its secure data and sensitive information by foreign adversaries such as the (Chinese Communist Party)," he said in the memo. "The CCP poses an ever-present national security threat to the United States and Georgia. As such, it is our duty to take action to preserve the safety and security of our state against the CCP, entities it controls and other foreign cyberthreats."

The governor asserted in his memo that TikTok can be used to track and store user information, which is accessible to the Chinese government.

Kemp accused the CCP of utilizing TikTok to further its own political agenda and threatening users.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. The app has been targeted by Republicans who say the Chinese government could access its user data like browsing history and location. U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.

The announcement comes a day after U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio proposed a bill banning TikTok at the national level, according to CNN Business.

Similar to Kemp, Rubio said social media companies like TikTok pose a threat and are being used as surveillance on Americans. He made accusations that social media is a tool foreign adversaries use for political reasons and to obtain data about Americans.

A copy of the full bill can be found here.

The AP contributed to this report.