PA Treasury Bans TikTok On Its Devices

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Treasury has banned the social media app TikTok from it's department-issued devices, citing its connection to the Chinese government and numerous security concerns.

While the step is confined to just the small number of individuals who have Treasury-issued phones and tablets, it's reflective of broader and growing concern over the app's safety and ethics. Pennsylvania is one of 14 such states to have a department pass some form of a ban in recent weeks.

"TikTok presents a clear danger due to its collection of personal data and its close connection to the communist Chinese government," Treasury Secretary Garrity said in a statement. "Banning TikTok from Treasury devices and systems is an important step in our never-ending work to ensure the safety of Pennsylvanians’ hard-earned tax dollars and other important, sensitive information entrusted to Treasury.”

The FBI called TikTok a national security concern last month. The app is owned by the Beijing, China-based company ByteDance, which is closely connected to China's government.

U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices, as well.

In a statement, TikTok called the moves a "political bandwagon" that was "based on unfounded falsehoods."

"TikTok is loved by millions of Americans, and it is unfortunate that the many state agencies, offices, universities, student groups, and sports teams in those states will no longer be able to use TikTok to build communities and share information," a spokesperson for TikTok told Patch in a statement.

"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," the spokesperson added. "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."

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 – have banned the app.