Montana is now the latest state to push back against the extremely popular short-form video-sharing app, TikTok. On Friday, Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibited its use on state equipment.
In his Friday memo to Montana’s Chief Information Officer and state executive agency directors, Gov. Gianforte said that having TikTok on state devices “poses a significant risk to the security of our state and Montanans' sensitive data.”
With that, TikTok is banned on any state-issued device capable of internet connectivity.
That includes third-party firms conducting business for or on behalf of the State of Montana.
Gianforte’s directive follows growing and bipartisan concerns that the Chinese-owned company presents a significant cybersecurity risk.
Montana joins a handful of other states who haveissued similar bans. This week, The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill to ban the social media app from federally-issued devices.
Critics say that it harvests excessive amounts of data from users’ devices unrelated to video sharing.
A press release from the governor’s office encourages Montanans in general to stop using TikTok.