Oregon considers banning TikTok on government devices

SALEM, Ore. (KPTV) - Oregon’s House Committee is discussing banning TikTok on government devices. The state would join more than two dozen other states if the ban goes through.

Discussions of banning TikTok on government devices come amid growing concerns that TikTok’s parent company is sharing user information with the Chinese government.

House Bill 3127 was put forward by Democrat State Representative Ben Bowman. Bans of TikTok on government devices are currently seen in most Republican-led states. Five of the bill’s 10 sponsors here in Oregon are Republican.

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and the Department of Justice are also in support of the bill, citing that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, tracked multiple U.S. journalists covering TikTok by improperly gaining access to their IP addresses and user data.

The DOJ said TikTok also settled a $92 million class action lawsuit law year over allegations that it captured data from its users without consent. Since then, even the White House has gotten behind a ban for its employees, announcing last month that employees would have to delete TikTok from their government devices.

The Oregon House Committee is expected to meet Tuesday to discuss the ban further. If the ban goes into effect it would only ban TikTok on government devices. The app would still be available for download on personal phones.

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