(The Center Square) – It looks to be the first government ban on TikTok in Wisconsin, though it likely won’t be the last.
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann on Monday ordered a ban on TikTok on any and all county-owned devices.
“What initially seemed to be a fun, innocent social media entertainment we now know is an insidious, deceptive tool that is being weaponized by the Chinese Communist Party,” Schoemann said.
TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, and that company has access to all of the data and content created by, and views by American users.
There is a growing fear that data and content can be used against Americans.
Schoemann said he was not going to allow that threat against Washington County.
“The continued use of TikTok is clearly a potential threat to our security and will not be allowed on our devices here in Washington County,” Schemann added.
Schoemann’s order means TikTok cannot be used on county-owned cell phones, tablets, or computers.
There have been no reports of any data or information being hacked or stolen in Washington County, instead Schoemann said his order is proactive.
The move in Washington County comes as Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol push for a TikTok ban on state government devices, and as Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher pushes for a national ban on TikTok on everyone’s devices.
“TikTok is a trojan horse that gives the Chinese Communist Party access to your data and the ability to track your location and monitor your keystrokes. It’s common sense to prevent this spyware from being downloaded onto to government phones, and I commend County Executive Schoemann for taking this step to better protect Wisconsinites. I hope more County Executives, as well as Governor Evers, follow this example and ensure no government device has TikTok on their phone,” Gallagher said in a statement.
