EXPLAINER: Kansas’ Democratic governor imposes TikTok ban - WJHL-TV News Channel 11

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly banned the usage of TikTok connected the state-issued devices of authorities workers nether her power connected Wednesday, becoming 1 of the archetypal Democratic governors to restrict the fashionable societal media app.

Kelly’s enactment came 5 days aft Congress approved the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending measure that banned TikTok from astir U.S. government-issued devices for employees. Republican governors successful astatine slightest 15 states person already imposed specified restrictions.

In Louisiana connected Monday, the state’s commissioner of medication — a Republican appointed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards — banned the usage of TikTok connected authorities networks nether Edwards’ control, with his approval. Also, Indiana’s GOP lawyer wide has sued TikTok’s owner. U.S. equipped forces person already prohibited the app connected subject devices.

TikTok has go the world’s 2nd most-popular domain and is consumed by two-thirds of American teenagers, immoderate of whom usage it to capable gaps successful their schoolhouse lessons. The proviso successful the legislature spending measure reflected bipartisan concerns astir information and the dispersed of misinformation due to the fact that of the app’s Chinese ownership.

Here’s a look astatine Kelly’s enactment and the broader statement implicit TikTok:

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WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK?

Like Republican governors who imposed akin bans, Kelly cited concerns astir information and the privateness of users’ data.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission person warned that TikTok idiosyncratic information could beryllium shared by proprietor ByteDance Ltd. with China’s authoritarian government. U.S. officials besides interest that the Chinese authorities mightiness usage TikTok to propulsion pro-China narratives oregon misinformation.

There’s besides been interest astir TikTok’s contented and whether it harms teenagers’ intelligence health.

TikTok has called the legislature prohibition “a governmental gesture” that volition not support nationalist security.

But Kelly said successful a statement: “TikTok mines users’ information and perchance makes it disposable to the Chinese Communist Party.” Lawmakers person said this includes browsing past and location.

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WHO HAS PUSHED FOR RESTRICTIONS?

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump and his medication sought to prohibition dealings with TikTok’s owner, unit it to merchantability disconnected its U.S. assets and region it from app stores. Courts blocked Trump’s efforts to prohibition TikTok, and President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s orders aft taking bureau but ordered an in-depth survey of the issue. A planned merchantability of TikTok’s U.S. assets was shelved.

However, interest astir the app has been bipartisan successful Congress.

The Senate earlier this period approved a mentation of the TikTok prohibition authored by blimpish Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a vocal professional of large tech companies.

But Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Illinois has co-sponsored authorities to prohibit TikTok from operating successful the U.S. altogether, and the measurement approved by Congress had the enactment of Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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WHAT ABOUT KELLY’S MOVE?

Kelly operates successful a antithetic governmental discourse than galore different Democratic governors. She’s successful a Republican-leaning authorities and has a conservative, GOP-led Legislature and Trump carried the authorities handily twice. She narrowly won reelection successful November by pitching herself to mean GOP and autarkic voters arsenic a middle-of-the-road occupation solver.

Kelly’s bid applies to authorities enforcement subdivision agencies, boards and commissions, but not to authorities universities, which are overseen by the Kansas Board of Regents. It besides doesn’t use to the Legislature oregon employees of different statewide elected official, specified arsenic the lawyer wide oregon caput of state. Kelly urged each of them to enforce restrictions.

Kelly is directing authorities employees to region the TikTok app from their government-issued devices. She has directed the state’s accusation exertion bureau to bounds employees’ quality to entree TikTok’s website connected authorities devices.

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Follow John Hanna connected Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna