Governor Laura Kelly signed an Executive Order yesterday December 28th, which bans the use of the social media platform Tik Tok on all state-owned devices for Kansas Executive Branch agencies, boards, and commissions and their respective employees, and prohibits access on the state network. This order is in response to the National Security and privacy risks posed by Tik Tok, whose parent company is a Chinese-owned company subject to Chinese government requests for data, technology, and other intellectual property. Kelly says it is a common sense step to protect Kansan’s privacy and security.
The order is in response to a recent warning by the FBI and FCC that user data from Tik Tok is potentially being shared with the Chinese Communist Party, posing a National and cyber-security threat. The order, which takes effect immediately, will require the deactivation of any active official State of Kansas Tik Tok accounts and the removal of any Tik Tok applications from state-owned devices.
