North Carolina bans TikTok, WeChat from government devices
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In an executive order, TikTok and WeChat have been banned from North Caroline state devices due to privacy concerns. The Order was signed by Governor Roy Cooper and directs the state Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) to develop a policy within 14 days that prohibits the use of these applications on state agency information technology systems in a manner that presents an unacceptable cybersecurity risk.
“It’s important for us to protect state information technology from foreign countries that have actively participated in cyberattacks against the United States,” said Governor Cooper. “Protecting North Carolina from cyber threats is vital to ensuring the safety, security, privacy and success of our state and its people.”
Cybersecurity professionals have identified TikTok and WeChat as high-risk applications due to their lack of sufficient privacy controls and connections to countries that sponsor or support cyberattacks against the United States.
Several government entities in the United States, including multiple branches of the United States Military, the Transportation Security Administration and other states, have banned TikTok, WeChat and other applications on federal and state government information technology.
The NCDIT policy will be able to be updated in the future if additional high-risk applications and websites are identified by state cybersecurity experts.
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