Texas Governor Greg Abbott bans TikTok on state devices

“TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices,” Abbott said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies on Wednesday to ban the use of the social media platform TikTok on government-issued devices over concerns about how the China-owned app handles data on American infrastructure and other sensitive information.

“TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices — including when, where, and how they conduct internet activity — and offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government,” Abbott said in a letter to state officials on Wednesday.

TikTok has faced growing scrutiny from state and federal officials over fears that American data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sued TikTok on Wednesday, December 7th, for allegedly misleading users about the Chinese government’s capacity to access their data and showing mature content to minors. It marks the first state lawsuit against the app.

TikTok provided ABC News with a statement after Indiana sued the company.

On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a similar prohibition on TikTok, as well as Chinese technology makers like Huawei and ZTE, from use on state business.

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