Citing serious security and protection of privacy data, the Town of Fountain Hills now prohibits using the social media platform TikTok on Town-issued mobile phones, personal computers, tablets and subsidized mobile devices immediately.

This directive follows federal and multiple state security concerns about the popular social media platform. According to Govtech.com, the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that Owner ByteDance Ltd. could share TikTok user data with China’s authoritarian government. U.S. officials also worry that the Chinese government might use TikTok to push pro-China narratives or misinformation. In December 2022, Congress banned TikTok on all devices owned by the federal government.

So far, at least 26 states have taken official action against the app since 2020, either by banning its use on government devices or lawsuits.

The Town’s IT Division is also blocking staff from accessing TikTok and TikTok content from their desktop computers.