State Treasurer Stacy Garrity bans TikTok from Pennsylvania Treasury Department devices
HARRISBURG (KDKA) - All Pennsylvania Treasury-issued devices can no longer use the mobile social media app TikTok.
On Thursday afternoon, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity made the announcement that she has banned the app from all treasury-issued devices.
Recently, the head of the FBI called the app a national security concern as it is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company.
"Treasury's computer network is targeted by scammers and criminals every day," Garrity said. "TikTok presents a clear danger due to its collection of personal data and its close connection to the communist Chinese government. Banning TikTok from Treasury devices and systems is an important step in our never-ending work to ensure the safety of Pennsylvanians' hard-earned tax dollars and other important, sensitive information entrusted to Treasury."
After an internal security review, it was found that the app had not been used on any treasury-issued devices.
The treasury also has updated its firewall to block access to the app and its website on the treasury's network.
Pennsylvania's treasury joins several other states that have banned the use of TikTok on government-issued devices including Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.