Ocean County, NJ, Lawmakers Seek to Ban TikTok on State-issued Devices

Ocean County 10th district state lawmakers are making a push to prevent the TikTok app from being installed on any and all electronic devices issued by the state of New Jersey through legislation they plan to introduce soon.

Across the United States, many are considering or implementing a ban on TikTok

The move is being discussed among certain circles within New Jersey law enforcement and members of the State Assembly and Senate which also follow a move made by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) who on Tuesday made the move being pitched here in the Garden State by barring TikTok and other similar platforms coming out of Russia and China from being put on or used on state devices.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster enacted a ban in their states and there are Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin pushing for a move in their state as well.

Texas made a ban recently and all those states followed in the footsteps of Nebraska which ban TikTok on devices in 2020, according to the Washington Post.

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There is a concerted effort by lawmakers, many of them Republican, who are expressing their concerns and making a push for a ban on government servers and devices, as a start.

On Wednesday night, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to enact a ban on devices for federal employees, according to the Washington Post, which will now need House approval and President Joe Biden's signature of approval.

Will New Jersey make the move to ban TikTok on government electronic devices?

New Jersey Senator Jim Holzapfel (R) and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin (R) and John Catalano (R) released a statement pointing to concerns among state and federal lawmakers, law enforcement and the military alleging the Chinese Communist Party is using the app -- operated by an internet tech company based in Singapore known as ByteDance -- to collect data from users all over the world and without them knowing have their opinions changed to favor China's government interests.

“There’s growing concern that all of the data TikTok collects on its users is being funneled directly to the Chinese government to use against us in one way or another,” Senator Holzapfel said in a written statement. “When it comes to State-issued devices, we must be careful to not expose sensitive information through TikTok that may be on the phones of policymakers or government

“People might not realize how much information is being shared through TikTok, including their contacts, calendars, location data, viewing habits, and more,” Assemblyman McGuckin said in a written statement. “That’s a lot of sensitive information to give to a potential adversary, which is why federal officials are raising national security concerns that we would be wise to heed here in New Jersey.”

“Data collection is just one of the many threats posed by TikTok,” Assemblyman Catalano said in a written statement. “Perhaps the biggest threat is the use of the app’s algorithm to control what people see and to influence what they think. It’s a dangerous tool the Chinese government can use to conduct information warfare and undermine democracy and American society. We need to take steps to limit the damage that can be done to New Jerseyans.”

Previous reporting by Michael Symons was also used in this article.