Citing cybersecurity risks from the Chinese government, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper banned the apps TikTok and WeChat from state-owned phones and computers in an executive order Thursday.

North Carolina joins a growing number of state governments to ban the apps, which are owned by Chinese companies. Congress included new rules to ban TikTok on federal devices in the spending bill passed late last year.

What You Need To Know

  •  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order to ban TikTok and WeChat from state-owned phones and computers

  •  A growing number of states have banned the apps from government devices, worried about cybersecurity and privacy risks from the apps, which are both owned by Chinese companies. A federal ban was included in the latest spending bill, signed into law in December

  •  TikTok said it has moved all its United States operations to servers in the United States and Singapore, out of reach of the Chinese government

  • Cooper's executive order gives the North Carolina Department of Information Technology 14 days to create new rules banning the apps on state devices

“It’s important for us to protect state information technology from foreign countries that have actively participated in cyberattacks against the United States,” the governor said in a statement. “Protecting North Carolina from cyber threats is vital to ensuring the safety, security, privacy, and success of our state and its people.”

TikTok is a popular social media platform built around creating and sharing videos. It is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese company. WeChat is a messaging app used widely in China and by the Chinese diaspora around the world. Tencent Holdings Ltd., another Chinese company, owns WeChat.

The apps have concerned privacy advocates and governments because of their weak privacy controls. There are also security concerns because Chinese laws mean the companies could potentially give the Chinese government access to user data.

TikTok has repeatedly pushed back against security concerns, saying data from users in the United States is stored in the United States and Singapore, out of reach of the Chinese government.

“We know we are among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint, and we aim to remove any doubt about the security of US user data,” TikTok’s Albert Calamug said in a statement last year.

He said the company was moving all of its data to cloud servers in the United States and that Oracle, a major software company based in the U.S., would run the servers and audit who has access.

But those moves have not allayed the fears of governments and security experts. It was met with bipartisan support from North Carolina lawmakers.

“It is essential that the state works to ensure the security of government technology,” state Rep. Robert Reives, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This Executive Order will help bolster state information technology protections and guard against cyberattacks in the future.”

“This guidance is a step in the right direction,” said Republican Rep. Jon Hardister. “I appreciate the Governor’s office collaborating with us on this initiative. I look forward to our continued efforts to establish long-term plans to enhance our cyber security."

The order directs the North Carolina Department of Information Technology to develop a new policy in the next 14 days that will prohibit TikTok, WeChat and potentially other apps from phones, tablets and computers owned by the state. The state IT department will be able to update the policy with other apps considered high risk.

“NCDIT’s top priority is the security and protection of the state’s IT systems, data, and assets,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver. “Gov. Cooper’s Executive Order is essential to this critical work.”

Governors in New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Alaska have signed similar executive orders in recent weeks.