N.J. Gov. Murphy bars TikTok, other platforms from state devices

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that his administration is barring certain “high risk” social media platforms like TikTok on state devices.

The decision applies to state agencies under the executive branch and comes as a third of U.S. states have moved to prohibit the platform on government devices. New Jersey is among just a few Democrat-led states to bar such platforms.

“The proactive and preventative measures that we are implementing today will ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and safety of information assets managed by New Jersey State government,” Murphy said in a statement.

It’s unclear what will become of the state’s NJGov TikTok account, which has more than 56,000 and more than a half-million likes.

Murphy’s directive allows for certain “compelling State business” with a public interest reason for using the technology to request an exception.

Congress recently banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued devices over bipartisan concerns about security and the spread of misinformation through the app.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. TikTok has said that it prioritizes its community’s privacy and security and that it is working to address security concerns raised by the U.S.

“We’re disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok,” spokesperson Jamal Brown said Monday in an emailed statement.

He added that the company is working with the federal government to “finalize a solution” to address states’ security concerns.

New Jersey’s prohibition also includes WeChat and Alibaba.