MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Thursday that banned the use of the popular social media app TikTok on state government devices.
The move came amid pressure from Republicans. However, the governor insisted he has not changed course and said the decision followed discussions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as other agencies.
Evers has used TikTok, but not in his official role as governor. The governor and his team used the app for campaign purposes, which means Evers could not have legally used TikTok on a state device because taxpayer resources cannot be used for a reelection bid.
Regardless, Evers has taken precautions with the latest executive order Thursday.
Steve Noll, a marketing instructor at Madison College who specializes in social media, said people should not be afraid of TikTok. Rather, large businesses and government should be concerned.
“I have to admit, I agree with this,” Noll said of the executive order signed by Evers. “I don’t think this is necessarily a bad idea.”
Apps like TikTok put ads in front of users based on the content they watch in exchange for users having so-called “free” use.
“There’s a big misconception social media apps sell your data to advertisers. That is not true,” Noll explained. “What they do is they are basically ad brokers.”
Unlike Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, which are American companies, TikTok is based in China, and its success has made some lawmakers and citizens suspicious.
“It very quickly became apparent that there was a funding source beyond advertising that was propping TikTok up, and as people started investigating it, they discovered that there were ties back to the actual Chinese government,” Noll said.
TikTok tracks what users have done not just on the app, but on their phones in general. Without knowing how much data has been gathered and how it is used, many Americans wonder if their information is about more than marketing.
“We don’t know for sure if that is happening,” Noll said. “The Chinese government has told us ‘No, it is not happening. We are only using this data for consumer shopping ideas,’ but they have also been caught doing some other cyber espionage in the past.”
That is a concern shared primarily by Republicans. One of the most vocal about the issue is Rep. Mike Gallagher, who calls the app a “trojan horse.”
While the move by Evers seems to have broad support, Noll hopes it does not go much further.
“Are there politicians out there that would like to see TikTok, in general, go away because maybe they don't want those younger people voting? And if TikTok is a tool to get to them, getting rid of TikTok is going to help them in an upcoming campaign,” Noll explained.