McMaster trying to ban TikTok from all state government devices in SC

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is trying to ban TikTok from state government electronic devices, his office said Monday.

McMaster sent a letter to South Carolina Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams asking for help blocking the popular social media platform.

The governor wants TikTok removed from all of the state government electronic devices that are managed by the Department of Administration, according to the letter.

TikTok is a video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, and had more than 1 billion global users in 2021, according to CNBC.

“Protecting our State’s critical cyber infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats is key to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our citizens and businesses,” McMaster wrote in the letter. “Federal law enforcement and national security officials have warned that TikTok poses a clear and present danger to its users, and a growing bi-partisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States.”

On Dec. 2, FBI Director Chris Wray said TikTok is “in the hands of a government (China) that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that’s very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States,” Time reported.

The Department of Administration, a cabinet agency, helps other state agencies “efficiently and securely carry out common government functions” the Governor’s Office said. Those efforts include, but are not limited to, internet services, managing mobile devices, computers, and other online devices at state agencies, with a focus on cybersecurity, according to McMaster.

The governor said he wants state agencies to partner with the Department of Administration to allow South Carolina’s cyber infrastructure to be maintained and managed in a comprehensive and cohesive fashion.

“Unfortunately, there are a number of state agencies who continue to operate in a silo,” McMaster wrote in the letter. “I ask that you provide my office with a listing of state agencies for whom the department is unable to permanently block access to TikTok.”

McMaster is not the first state governor to make a move against TikTok.

On Nov. 29, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order banning state agencies, employees and contractors from accessing TikTok on government devices, CNN reported. Like McMaster, Noem is a Republican.