Burgum Bans TikTok in N.D.

North Dakota executive branch agencies may not use TikTok due to national security concerns, Gov. Doug Burgum (R) ordered Tuesday. “Protecting citizens’ data is our top priority, and our IT professionals have determined, in consultation with federal officials, that TikTok raises multiple flags in terms of the amount of data it collects and how that data may be shared with and used by the Chinese government,” he said. Burgum follows Republican governors banning the platform in other states, including South Dakota, South Carolina and Texas (see 2212070033). Also Tuesday, the U.S. Senate introduced a bipartisan bill banning TikTok (see 2212130068). TikTok is "disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States," a spokesperson said. "We will continue to brief state and federal officials on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country's top national security agencies -- plans that we are well underway in implementing -- to further secure our platform in the United States."