OC supervisors vote to ban TikTok from county government-issued devices

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a proposal that will ban TikTok from all of the county's government-issued devices and equipment.

The measure was introduced by Supervisor Andrew Do and Sheriff Don Barnes in an effort to "ensure the safety and security of County data, information, and technology from potential hacking by the communist government of China," according to a news release from Do's office.

"We are taking proactive steps to ensure the County of Orange is following best security practices to protect our County and the residents we serve," Do said in a statement.

The vote to approve the ban was unanimous. It prohibits downloading, viewing or using TikTok on any county device or equipment, except as necessary for law enforcement purposes.

"This action is necessary to protect our county (information technology) devices from the threat to national security that TikTok poses," Barnes said on Twitter. "I also encourage the public, particularly parents, to consider the potential for compromised data and negative influence on users and take action to secure your personal devices."

In guidance issued Feb. 27, the White House said it was giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices. The White House already did not allow TikTok on its devices.

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but there's concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.