IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…. WTSP: “Employees at Florida state department can't use TikTok, order says”

“Employees at Florida state department can't use TikTok, order says”

WTSP (Tampa)

August 11, 2020

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Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis signed an order Tuesday to ban the use of TikTok on state-supplied devices and within department buildings, according to a news release. It means the popular social media app on employees' personal devices can't be used while at work, either, the order reads.

 

 

 TikTok has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks as President Donald Trump ordered a ban on it and other applications created from Chinese companies over concerns they provide American users' personal information to the communist Chinese government.

 

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But there remain concerns the Chinese government could pressure TikTok's owner to hand over data, Wired reports.

 

Patronis in the release said it's that reason his agency, which deals with the State Treasury, law enforcement records and the like, is banning the app.

 

"The threat TikTok presents far outweighs any benefit the application could provide to official business of the agency and that is why I have decided to immediately ban the application from DFS devices and use of the app within our facilities," he said. "With reports of direct ties to the Communist Party of China, TikTok is a major security risk to the State of Florida and to the United States, and it has no place on state devices."