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Gov. McMaster Blocks TikTok on State Government Devices
Governor Henry McMaster today requested that the social media platform TikTok be permanently removed, and access blocked from all state government electronic devices that are managed by the Department of Administration. The governor made the request in a letter to South Carolina Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams. You can read the letter here.
“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,” Governor 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.”
The Governor’s Office says that the Department of Administration, a cabinet agency, utilizes shared services and centralization to help agencies efficiently and securely carry out common government functions. 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.