Michigan has joined a growing number of states in banning TikTok on government devices, with some exceptions, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s popular account, which has nearly 200,000 followers.
State officials moved to ban the app earlier this month, but the decision was only confirmed on Wednesday by Jayson Cavendish, Michigan’s acting chief security officer, who told local reporters that TikTok has been “banned for state devices” since March 1.
Cavendish stated that the video-sharing app was put in “monitored mode” in 2020, allowing official devices to access the site but only after a security warning to discourage its use. TikTok is no longer accessible through web browsers, and while the standalone app can still be downloaded on state devices, it cannot be used.
According to local media, the state government has made some exceptions to the new rule, allowing officials to use the app for law enforcement and “promotional” purposes. That means Governor Whitmer, who uses TikTok almost daily to communicate with her 195,000 followers, will be able to continue using it.
Since the ban went into effect, the governor’s account has made several posts, but officials maintain that she uses a secure device that has never been connected to government networks.
“It’s a state of Michigan device, but it follows the guidelines that are in place for the exceptions. And the exceptions are for any department that believes it is necessary for their job to communicate with the public or for investigative purposes,” Whitmer’s spokesperson said.
He also stated that no other state agency has requested the same exemption as Whitmer’s office.
According to Yahoo Finance, the federal government and at least 25 state administrations have enacted similar bans on official devices, with many prompted to act after FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed the Chinese government could access data gathered by the app. A long list of state and federal officials have expressed similar privacy and national security concerns, including Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, which stated in December that it was investigating possible “threats” linked to TikTok.
