Youngkin executive order bans TikTok from state computers

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has banned the use of several Chinese-owned apps including TikTok and WeChat on state government devices and wireless networks. In a statement Friday, he calls them a threat to national security and “a channel to the Chinese Communist Party.” Youngkin’s executive order covers apps developed by ByteDance and Tencent. He joins at least 14 others governors who have taken such an action. There have also been calls for Congress to ban the use of the apps on federal government devices. A spokesperson for TikTok says some state and federal officials are promoting falsehoods to ban the platform.