Governor Evers to Ban TikTok on Government Devices

Saturday, January 7th, 2023 -- 10:00 AM

(By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Gov. Tony Evers said Wisconsin will now join the federal government and multiple states in banning the use of the popular social media site TikTok on government devices, the decision coming a month after Republican lawmakers pushed for the ban.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, Evers told WISN’s Matt Smith that he would issue an executive order by early next week to ban use of the social media site.

In December, the Democratic governor said his administration was closely monitoring the use of TikTok with no plans to bar its use on government devices at the time.

"We consulted with FBI folks and our own emergency management folks, and we came to the conclusion that it's the best idea," Evers told WISN. "We really wanted to finish those conversations before we banned it."

Republican congressional representatives from Wisconsin, including U.S. House Rep. Mike Gallagher, highlighted concerns over the use of TikTok on state devices.

In a Dec. 6 letter, he and five other lawmakers, including Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, urged Evers to delete his TikTok account and bar the app on government gadgets.

In December, President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that made it illegal to have the Chinese-owned app on federal devices due to security concerns.

Lawmakers had expressed fears that the Chinese Communist Party was using the social media app to spy on Americans, as well as censor and control news they consume.

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