Kansas Bans TikTok on State Devices

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) on Wednesday signed an executive order banning the use of TikTok on state-issued devices. Kansas joins a number of states and Congress in banning the Chinese-owned app on government devices (see 2212200074). “I am taking common-sense steps to protect Kansans’ privacy and security,” said Kelly in a statement. “TikTok mines users’ data and potentially makes it available to the Chinese Communist Party -- a threat recognized by a growing group of bipartisan leaders across the United States.” Politicians with “national security concerns should encourage the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok,” the company said in a statement. “The agreement under review will meaningfully address any security concerns that have been raised at both the federal and state level. 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."