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Miami, FL - South Florida commissioners have decided to ban TikTok from all county-owned phones and devices due to security concerns related to Chinese ownership of the app.
The decision was made by unanimous vote, with commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins stating that the move was not specifically aimed at TikTok, but rather was a security issue.
Higgins explained that as TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, there is a concern that user data could be shared with the Chinese government, and thus, banning the app from county-owned devices was necessary to prevent any contribution to espionage by the Chinese Communist Party.
The new rule mandates that all county employees must delete the social media app from their work devices, including the 30,000 employees and contractors who are issued phones by the county.
Although the county has yet to finalize the details, it's been agreed that an exemption will be allowed for law enforcement officials to conduct investigations, but that is currently the only exception to the rule.
The county is still working out the details of the ban, including the deadline by which employees must delete the app.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County employees are still free to use TikTok on their personal phones, as the ban only applies to county-owned devices.