Two Republican Ohio House Representatives have introduced legislation that would ban TikTok from government devices.
The introduction of this legislation follows a state executive order issued by Governor Mike DeWine in January 2023, forbidding the use of TikTok or other platforms and applications held by an entity located in China from state devices citing that the Chinese Communist Party employs the apps as an “intelligence gathering mechanism.”
House Bill (HB) 17, sponsored by State Representatives D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland), aims to prohibit the download, installation, and use of any applications or services owned by an entity located in China, including TikTok and WeChat on government devices.
According to Swearingen, this bill is a measure to safeguard the state’s sensitive private information by keeping access to the data stored on state devices out of foreign hands.
“As legislators, it is our job to protect our constituents. Cyber-security on government devices is necessary to protect sensitive information that could compromise our government and ultimately, all Ohioans,” Swearingen said.
The bill does not prohibit Ohioans from using TikTok or other Chinese-based applications on their personal devices nor limit government employees’ personal usage.
Swearingen said that this issue of maintaining cybersecurity is “bipartisan and necessary.”
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also issued an order prohibiting TikTok from being downloaded or used on government devices which was well-received by Republicans and Democrats.
According to Swearingen, there are too many unknowns about the cybersecurity and risks of foreign-controlled programs like TikTok to allow their usage on state devices.
“Passage of HB 17 will eliminate the risk of the Chinese government using legal or regulatory power to push propaganda and misinformation. Moreover, it protects our sensitive state data, and by extension, our citizens, from potential breaches by foreign actors,” Swearingen said.
The plan is similar to legislation that has been advanced in many states. A study from the website Government Technology found that 30 states have already taken steps to impose some restrictions on the app for state-owned devices.
According to internet performance and security company Cloudflare, TikTok is the second-most popular web domain in the world, only being surpassed by Google in terms of size. Regarding news issues, the site has come under fire for not policing misinformation, with TikTok automatically suggesting roughly one in five videos that include inaccuracy.
The legislation is currently under review by the House Technology and Innovation Committee.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “D.J. Swearingen” by The Ohio House of Representatives. Photo “Jean Schmidt” by The Ohio House of Representatives. Background Photo “TikTok” by Solen Feyissa.
