MICHIGAN HOUSE PUSHES TIKTOK BAN ON STATE DEVICES TO CURB FOREIGN INFLUENCE

The Michigan House of Representatives has introduced legislation to ban TikTok on state-owned devices, citing concerns over foreign influence and data security risks posed by the Chinese-owned app.

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The bill, spearheaded by Rep. Andrew Beeler, R-Port Huron, targets apps controlled by foreign adversaries, specifically naming TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, due to fears that user data could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

For Michigan’s public sector, taxpayers, and tech policy observers, the move reflects growing national security anxieties about TikTok’s operations, building on a 2023 state policy that restricted the app on government devices, except for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s promotional account.

The legislation aligns with a broader U.S. push to limit TikTok, which has over 170 million American users, amid debates over privacy, free speech, and national security. Background concerns about TikTok stem from its 2017 acquisition by ByteDance, a Beijing-based firm subject to China’s National Intelligence Law, which mandates data sharing with the government.

Since 2020, U.S. officials, including the FBI, have flagged TikTok as a potential tool for espionage and propaganda, citing incidents like ByteDance employees tracking journalists’ locations in 2022.

Michigan’s bill, awaiting a Senate vote, could set a precedent for stricter state-level restrictions, though it faces challenges from Whitmer’s use of the app and public support for its 195,000-follower gubernatorial account.

MICHIGAN’S PROPOSED TIKTOK BAN

House Bill 4568 seeks to prohibit TikTok and other foreign adversary-controlled apps on stateissued devices, expanding a 2023 administrative ban implemented by Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

The bill, passed by the House with bipartisan support, targets ByteDance due to its potential to share user data with the CCP, as stated by Rep. Beeler in a floor speech.