TikTok Banned in Several U.S. States for Security Reasons

New Jersey and Ohio announced on Tuesday that they are joining other U.S. states in banning the video application TikTok on devices owned and managed by the government. New Jersey's Democratic Governor Phil Murphy stated that in addition to the ban on the app owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, applications, products, programs, and electronic services from over ten companies, including Huawei, Hikvision, Tencent Holdings, ZTE Corporation, and Kaspersky Lab, will also be prohibited. Murphy's office noted that there were national security concerns regarding user data that the Chinese government might request from ByteDance. Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine mentioned in the order banning the app that these cybersecurity applications pose a threat to the security of users at both the national and local levels, particularly for those using these applications and platforms, as well as the devices storing them. TikTok expressed regret over the app's ban in several states, stating that it is based on misconceptions and unfounded allegations.