WEST BEND, Wis. — The social media app TikTok is now banned on Washington County government devices.
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann made the announcement Monday. According to a news release, during discussions with United States Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District and incoming Chair of the Select Committee on China, Schoemann learned “the serious issues” Tiktok presents to national security.
Gallagher introduced a bill last week banning TikTok nationally, and the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to ban the app from all U.S. government devices.
“What initially seemed to be a fun, innocent social media entertainment we now know is an insidious, deceptive tool that is being weaponized by the Chinese Communist Party,” Schoemann said in a news release Monday. “The continued use of TikTok is clearly a potential threat to our security and will not be allowed on our devices here in Washington County.”
Gallagher and other state Republicans have previously urged Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to delete his TikTok account and to ban the app from state-issued devices.
According to the Associated Press, at least 14 governors have ordered their agencies not to use TikTok on government devices. The U.S. armed forces have also prohibited the app on military devices.
