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FACT BRIEF

Did Nevada ban TikTok on government devices?

By Austin Tannenbaum
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
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YES

In a March 6, 2023, memo, Nevada’s Department of Administration provided a list of items “prohibited on state-owned devices, networks, and platforms” because of cybersecurity concerns. That list includes TikTok, as well as other Chinese-owned apps, software and hardware.

Suspicions that the Chinese government may force TikTok to share U.S. user data have led to renewed congressional efforts to ban the app nationwide.

Nevada joined 27 other states with TikTok bans on state government devices. In December, President Joe Biden approved a spending bill that banned TikTok on most federal government devices.

About a dozen other countries and the European Union have banned TikTok on government devices, according to the Associated Press. A few of them, such as India and Afghanistan, have banned TikTok altogether.

TikTok does not operate in China; the privately owned parent company, ByteDance, offers a different app to Chinese customers.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
State of Nevada| Department of Administration New State Security Standard: System, Application, and Service Blacklisting
Axios The political realities that make a national TikTok ban tricky
Business Insider Here's a full list of the US states that have introduced full or partial TikTok bans on government devices over mounting security concerns
NBC News Biden signs TikTok ban for government devices, setting up a chaotic 2023 for the app
AP News Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok
LinkedIn ByteDance
CNN Business TikTok is owned by a Chinese company. So why doesn't it exist there?
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.