Gretchen Whitmer Defends Using TikTok Despite Most States And Congress Banning Use On Govt Devices

Michigan Democratic Governor On Sunday, Gretchen Whitmer made excuses for TikTok’s Chinese-owned social media app. This was despite Congress and most states having banned the app from government-issued devices.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Jake Tapper asked Whitmer why she continued to use the app despite concerns over data privacy that prompted politicians across the country and prompted them to take action.

“You’re active on TikTok,” Tapper was born. “And I get it, it’s fun. But I deleted my app from my phone because so many people kept coming on my show saying, delete it, delete it, delete it. The Chinese government has access to your data. Is it appropriate for you to be on TikTok when the FBI says it’s a national security concern?”

“We use TikTok on one device that has nothing else on it,” Whitmer replied. “It is a communication tool. We don’t do it because it’s fun, although some people think what I put out there can be fun on occasion… But the point is, we have it on one device that has no access to anything else, because so many people get their information that way.”

“Whether we like it or not, that is a tool for disseminating important information,” She continued. “And that’s how we use it. But we’re always evaluating because we want to make sure that we are protecting data in Michigan. And that’s why we’re always evaluating. But, at this point, the way we use it is secure.”

But when pressed again by Tapper about the negative effects on Americans’ mental health, Whitmer admitted that young people need to learn that the app is not a reliable source of information.

“We need to have some congressional measures taken to ensure that there is some integrity in it,” She spoke. “But, also, we got to teach our kids that this is not a real robust offering of information, for you to distill and make your own decisions.”

Whitmer’s official TikTok account, @biggretchwhitmer, has over 190,000.

Governors and lawmakers 32 of 50 States have taken steps to prohibit the app’s use on state-owned devices. Four other states also have similar bills in their state legislatures. A provision was also included in the $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Budget Bill, which Congress passed late last year. The app was banned Federal government devices. Government leaders have all cited the app’s excessive data permissions requests and the security risks it could pose.

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