{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-call-on-gov-evers-to-ban-tiktok-from-state-government-devices", "Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Call on Gov. Evers to Ban TikTok from State Government Devices", "2022-12-06", "2022", "2022-12", "Republican", "Senate", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", "ronjohnson", "https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and four of their Wisconsin colleagues in a bicameral letter calling on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices. They also called for Governor Evers, who has used TikTok in the past, to delete his TikTok account.\n\n\"We write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans\u2019 news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level\u2014this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices,\" the lawmakers wrote.\n\nSen. Johnson and Rep. Gallagher were joined on the letter by Representatives Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) and Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.)\n\nRead more about the letter in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nDear Governor Evers,\n\nWe write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans\u2019 news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level\u2014this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices.\n\nThe CCP controls and directs TikTok. TikTok\u2019s corporate owner, ByteDance, is a Chinese company and is therefore bound by Chinese law to assist CCP intelligence agencies. ByteDance\u2019s editor-in-chief, Zhang Fuping, is a CCP member and chairs the company\u2019s Communist Party Committee. In a September 2020 court filing, the Department of Justice described ByteDance\u2019s founder and former CEO, Zhang Yiming, as a \u201cmouthpiece for the CCP\u201d and \u201ccommitted to promoting the CCP\u2019s agenda and messaging.\u201d President Biden recognizes the threat posed by TikTok. In July 2020, he required all of his presidential campaign staff to delete TikTok from their work and personal phones.\n\nTikTok is a CCP surveillance tool. It tracks cell phone users\u2019 data, including user location data, and users\u2019 keystrokes, even when not even using the app. The CCP can thus collect sensitive intelligence on Wisconsin government employees and even blackmail or pressure them based on this information.6 Just last month, Forbes reported that ByteDance planned to use TikTok to track specific Americans\u2019 locations for a non-advertising purpose.\n\nEven worse than its data collection, TikTok can use its black box algorithm to promote CCP propaganda and censor content. We have already seen TikTok censor references to the CCP\u2019s genocide and reeducation camps in Xinjiang and the Tiananmen Square massacre and block the account of an American Muslim rights activist who criticized the CCP\u2019s treatment of Uyghur Muslims before an outcry forced a reverse course. The concern with this algorithm is especially acute given the growing percentage of American adults who use TikTok as their news source. It is inappropriate for the CCP to curate Wisconsin government employees\u2019 news feed.\n\nIt is not unprecedented for a state governor to ban TikTok on government devices. Last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued an Executive Order banning TikTok from the South Dakota state government devices of government employees, agencies, and contractors. We strongly urge you to follow Governor Noem\u2019s lead and examine your own legal authorities to ban TikTok from Wisconsin state government devices.\n\nWe further request that you lead by example and immediately delete your own TikTok accounts. Wisconsinites expect their governor to be aware of the dangerous national security threats TikTok poses and to protect them from this avenue for CCP intelligence operations. Knowing the threats posed by CCP control of TikTok, it is irresponsible\u2014at best\u2014for a governor to ignore these risks and promote TikTok through his own use of the app.\n\nIf you do not intend to delete your TikTok account or to ban TikTok from government devices, please respond with an explanation of your decision. Thank you for your prompt attention to this vital national security matter.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-call-on-gov-evers-to-ban-tiktok-from-state-government-devices"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6009928658604622, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}