Citing a concern that it poses a threat to state information, Gov. Greg Abbott has banned the video-sharing app TikTok from government-issued devices.

In a Dec. 7 letter to state agencies, the governor noted that the TikTok app is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese company that “employs Chinese Communist Party members and has a subsidiary that is partially owned by the Chinese Communist Party.” Abbott goes on to write that TikTok harvests data from its users’ devices and “offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.”

In a Dec. 9 email, Jason Tomlinson, vice president for finance & administration, directed Texas Woman’s faculty and staff to immediately remove and stop using or downloading TikTok on TWU-issued and/or managed cell phones, laptops, tablets and desktop computers.

Tomlinson’s email also states that all verified TWU TikTok account activity “must be frozen immediately, until further notice. There is no need to delete or deactivate accounts at this time.”

IT Solutions will strictly enforce the ban.