New Jersey And Ohio Prohibit The Use of TikTok on Government-owned Devices

New Jersey and Ohio joined other states in prohibiting the use of the popular video app TikTok on government-owned and managed devices on Monday.

In addition to banning the short-video app owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance from state devices, Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy banned software vendors, products, and services from over a dozen companies, including Huawei, Hikvision, Tencent Holdings (OTC:TCEHY) LTD, ZTE (HK:073) Corporation, and Kaspersky Lab.

Murphy's office noted, "there are national security concerns regarding the user data that the Chinese government may demand from ByteDance."

In his order, the Republican governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, stated: "Different covert data privacy and cybersecurity practices pose threats to national and local security and cybersecurity for users of these programs, platforms, and devices storing the applications."

TikTok did not immediately comment.

On Friday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers revealed his plan to outlaw the use of a popular video app with more than 100 million users in the United States.

Some Democratic governors have been slower than their Republican counterparts to ban TikTok on state-owned devices.

Christopher Wray, director of the FBI in the United States, claimed in November that TikTok poses concerns to national security, which prompted efforts to prohibit the app on government computers. Wray called attention to the risk that the Chinese government may manipulate users or seize control of their devices via the program.

According to a report by Reuters on Friday, TikTok has stopped hiring consultants who would help it implement a potential security cooperation with the United States, according to two individuals with knowledge of the issue, as more U.S. officials reject such a deal.

Since 2015, TikTok has endeavored to ensure Washington that the Chinese Communist Party or any other institution under Beijing's control cannot access or alter the personal information of American citizens.