Bill Banning TikTok In PA Government Moves Forward

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania legislators are moving forward in unanimous bipartisan fashion on a bill that would ban the controversial social media app TikTok from all state devices and networks.

The bill comes amid rising pressure from President Joe Biden's administration on TikTok, whose owners are tied to the Chinese government's ruling party, and increasing public attention to the app's distinct threats to national security.

“Our nation’s top law enforcement agencies and national defense officials agree that TikTok presents an unacceptable level of cyber espionage, collection of government data and is a threat to personal security,” Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), who sponsored the state Senate bill, said in a statement.

Phillips-Hill's bill was supported by all 11 members of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee.

Various branches of the federal government have already banned the app, as well as the Pennsylvania Treasury Department.

"I applaud the bipartisan support on this measure so Pennsylvania’s government can best protect its information technology assets and resources, and, most importantly, ensure that data collected about Pennsylvania taxpayers is safeguarded from foreign adversaries," Phillips-Hill added.

Senate Bill 379 has now moved on to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration. Given the bipartisan support it's enjoyed thus far, it's a good bet to reach Gov. Josh Shapiro's desk in short order.

The app is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, which is closely connected to China's government. Critics are chiefly concerned with the possibility of the app sharing its data with China or other foreign interests that may be hostile to the United States. Such data could be used to gather intelligence or exert influence in various social and cultural spheres, particularly in future elections.

TikTok says the national security concerns are unfounded.

"We are continuing to work with the federal government to finalize a solution that will meaningfully address any security concerns that have been raised at the federal and state level," a TikTok spokesperson told Patch. "These plans have been developed under the oversight of our country's top national security agencies—plans that we are well underway in implementing—to further secure our platform in the United States, and we will continue to brief lawmakers on them."

Separately but simultaneously, some counties in Pennsylvania are looking to ban TikTok and are filing lawsuits due to what they say are its deletrious mental health impacts on children. Bucks County filed a suit on Wednesday alleging the app, along with other social media companies like Facebook and SnapChat, deliberately target young people and promote unhealthy behaviors.

Filed Tuesday in federal court in California, the civil suit alleges that the firms running TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, with platforms designed to encourage youth addiction, are fueling a mental health crisis among young people.

"This is a fight we're taking to the doorsteps of these companies in Silicon Valley," said county solicitor Joe Khan, noting that this is the first time a county government has filed a suit of this nature against social media conglomerates in a multi-district litigation.

States that have banned the app include Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia

With reporting from Patch correspondent Jeff Werner