TikTok bans proposed at state, federal levels, including in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo, (KMIZ)
States across the country are moving toward banning Tik Tok on government devices at the same time that a Missouri senator is pushing for more federal restrictions on the app.
A bill introduced by state Rep. Adam Schnelting (R-St. Charles) would ban Missouri state workers from using any apps with connections to the Chinese government, which includes TikTok.
"We've all become accustomed to just clicking that accept box when you sign up for a website or you download an app or something like that without giving any real consideration to what you're signing up for," said State Rep. Eric Wood (D-Kansas City).
The Missouri House bill passed the House of Representatives with support from both parties. It's now in the Senate but hasn't been placed on the calendar for a committee hearing yet.
"The primary concern when we discuss TikTok is where that data goes and who has access to it," Wood said.
The United States government has already made a similar move with a bill signed into law earlier this year. That bill was sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri).
Hawley is now pushing for even more restrictions with his "No TikTok on United States Devices Act" that would ban TikTok for all Americans. The popular video-based social media app has about 150 million users here, according to TikTok executives.
Federal lawmakers last week grilled the TikTok CEO on how the company uses data.
“TikTok poses a threat to all Americans who have the app on their devices," Hawley said in a news release. "It opens the door for the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans’ personal information, keystrokes, and location through aggressive data harvesting. Banning it on government devices was a step in the right direction, but now is the time to ban it nationwide to protect the American people."
