Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) signed an executive order banning TikTok on all state devices Thursday.
Cooper now joins a growing number of Democratic governors to follow the Republicans’ lead in banning the Chinese-owned social media app over national security concerns.
“It’s important for us to protect state information technology from foreign countries that have actively participated in cyberattacks against the United States,” Cooper said in a press release. “Protecting North Carolina from cyber threats is vital to ensuring the safety, security, privacy, and success of our state and its people.”
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“The Order directs the state Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) to develop a policy within 14 days that prohibits the use of TikTok, WeChat and potentially other applications on state agency information technology systems in a manner that presents an unacceptable cybersecurity risk,” the press release added.
Starting late last year, a growing number of Democratic governors began issuing TikTok bans on state-owned devices over concerns that the app’s parent company, ByteDance, could sell U.S. citizens’ data to the Chinese Communist Party, with which it is linked.
Cooper’s ban is the second this week. The first was from Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) on Monday.
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TikTok has soared in popularity in recent years, particularly among teenagers. A recent survey from Piper Sandler found that 38% rate it as their favorite app. Approximately two-thirds of U.S. teenagers use the app.
