Gov. Gretchen Whitmer confronted on TikTok use despite national security risk: ‘The way we use it is secure’

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., was pressed on why she’s still active on TikTok despite national security risks and claimed that the way she uses it is “secure.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper noted Whitmer was “active on TikTok” and said that he understands because it’s “fun.” Tapper explained that he deleted the app from his phone because of the many people who warned him about the Chinese government having access to his information. 

He asked the Michigan governor if it was appropriate for her to use and post to the Chinese-owned app. 

“We have it on one device that has no access to anything else,” she said. “Because so many people get their information that way. Whether we like it or not, that is a tool for disseminating important information and that’s how we use it, but we’re always evaluating, because we want to make sure that we are protecting data in Michigan. And that’s why we’re always evaluating, but at this point, the way that we use it is secure.” 

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Whitmer also claimed that she doesn’t use the app because it’s fun and explained that she uses it as a communication tool. She added that she uses it on one device that has nothing else on it. 

“We use TikTok on one device that has nothing else on it. It is a communication tool. We don’t do it because it’s fun, although some people think what I put out there can be fun on occasion,” she said.  

States such as Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Indiana have banned the app from government-issued devices. 

Tapper also asked Whitmer if she believed it was safe for children to be on TikTok. 

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“I’m concerned about a lot of ways that social media is curated and drags people down rabbit holes in this country. We need to have some congressional, you know, measures taken to ensure that there is some integrity in it. But also, we’ve got to teach our kids that this is not a real robust offering of information for you to distill and make your own decisions. This is biased and it can be incredibly toxic,” she responded. 

The Kentucky Senate passed legislation on Friday that bans the app from government devices as well. 

A growing number of colleges have also banned the Chinese-owned app from being accessed on university Wi-Fi.