Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Bans TikTok on State Devices over Security Concerns, Joining Other GOP States

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced Tuesday an immediate ban on the Chinese social media app TikTok from state government devices and any state agencies from subscribing to or creating an account on the platform due to security concerns.

Reynolds’ directive went into effect Tuesday and is similar to orders other Republican governors have given, such as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

“It is clear that TikTok represents a national security risk to our country, and I refuse to subject the citizens of Iowa to that risk,” Reynolds said in a statement. “They trust us with their personal and confidential information, and we will take every step possible to protect it, including from the Chinese government.”

“The safety of Iowans is my number one priority, and that includes their cybersecurity,” she added.

The Des Moines Register noted that it is unclear how many Iowa agencies the governor’s directive would immediately affect. But the publication acknowledged that some of the state’s public universities and athletics departments have accounts on the app.

In recent months, there has been a push from Democrat and Republican public officials to take and/or call for action against the Chinese social media app over concerns that it could surveil Americans.

Recently, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr, one of the two Republican commissioners, called the United States to get rid of the Chinese app over privacy concerns. At the same time, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) also claimed that “[former president] Donald Trump was right” in wanting to ban the app.

In 2020, under former President Donald Trump, the administration tried to ban TikTok, but it resulted in the Chinese social media app’s parent company divesting the platform to an American company, as previously noted by Breitbart News.

There is also legislation currently in Congress that, if passed, would ban TikTok on government devices. One of the pieces of legislation Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was attempting to push through the U.S. Senate on Wednesday specifically states:

No employee of the United States, officer of the United States, Member of Congress, congressional employee, or officer or employee of a government corporation may download or use TikTok or any successor application developed by ByteDance or any entity owned by ByteDance on any device issued by the United States or a government corporation.

This comes after a Rasmussen Reports survey released last week found that most voters believe the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be using the app to “collect sensitive national security information from U.S. government employees.” A majority also supported having federal legislation to ban TikTok from the U.S.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.