Justice to introduce bill banning TikTok on state-owned computers – Parkersburg News

Dec 21, 2022
CHARLESTON — Despite already prohibiting TikTok and other social media platforms with connections to the People’s Republic of China from state-owned computers and devices, Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday he will offer legislation to cement that ban in stone.
During his Tuesday morning virtual COVID-19 briefing from the State Capitol Building, Justice said he will introduce a bill during the 2023 legislative session beginning Wednesday, Jan. 11, that would ban the use of TikTok, WeChat, and other social media platforms whose companies are headquartered in China from use on state government-owned computers and devices.
The statement came one day after state Senate Judiciary Committee Vice Chairman Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, wrote a letter to Justice asking him to issue an executive order to prohibit the use of TikTok and similar apps from state-controlled computers, phones, and tablets.
“Today, I am announcing I will submit a bill during the lesion to put into law that this app and all other apps owned by the Chinese government will be banned by our state government. We’ll take it one step further.
“I appreciate the letter,” Justice continued. “I think the world of Ryan Weld. He’s a great, great senator and a good friend and a good guy. And he does good work. With all of that said, I just want to take it one step further and everything, and that’s why I’ll put it in the form of a bill and submit it to the Legislature. If we get this passed, we’ll absolutely have something to protect us even more.”
In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Justice said that TikTok was already prohibited from being used by computers and devices controlled by state departments and agencies that answer to Justice.
“We’re recognizing the ever-changing threat landscape and we have to continually be vigilant and monitor that landscape so we can be proactive and stay ahead of bad actors,” State Technology Officer Josh Spence said Tuesday. “We’ve been doing that with other entities. Taking this next step is the right move to ensure that as a state we move together, and we move forward to address this threat.”
In separate statements Monday, the State Auditor’s Office, the State Treasurer’s Office, and the Department of Agriculture said they also ban the use of TikTok and other social media programs developed by ByteDance Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. Both companies are headquartered in China.
Concerns have been raised over the years about whether these companies are sharing the data of app users with the Chinese government. Federal agencies and government contractors have begun to ban use of the app. The federal omnibus funding bill in the U.S. Senate includes a ban of TikTok.
Speaking Tuesday, Justice stressed that the state’s Office of Technology has been effective in protecting sensitive state networks from cyberattacks.
“It’s important to keep in mind that TikTok is not the only threat out there,” Justice said. “Millions and millions of cyber events are happening all the time, targeting different states and everything.”
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