Georgia state Sen. Jason Anavitarte is pushing legislation that would completely ban the TikTok app across the state, according to a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta.
This comes alongside continued concerns by legislators over data collection, election tampering and misinformation on TikTok, the report states, prompting Anavitarte to push for restricted use of the app.
“While the app isn’t operated directly by the Chinese government, its parent company is located in Beijing and China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires all citizens and businesses to assist in intelligence gathering and share any data with the Chinese government,” Anavitarte said in a press release, FOX 5 reports.
Representing Paulding, Polk and Harrison counties and chairing the Senate Study Committee on the Creation of a Georgia Cybersecurity Force, Anavitarte recently referred to the popular social media app as “malware produced by communist China to influence our elections.”
According to the report, Georgia’s actions come as other states have also taken action against the social media giant, including the state of Indiana’s attorney general filing a suit against the app claiming it misleads users about the level of inappropriate content and over the security of consumer information.
Governors in South Dakota, Texas and Maryland have already enacted similar orders and the FCC commissioner has also called for a nationwide ban on the app, with critics arguing among its largest shortcomings is the way it misleads users about the level of inappropriate content.
