Vermont bans TikTok on government devices

BY FRED THYS VTDigger

The executive branch of the Vermont state government has banned the use of the popular social media app TikTok on all state-owned devices, following similar moves by at least 27 other states and the federal government.

The ban, which took effect Monday, applies to all state-issued electronic devices used by executive-branch staff and contractors, according to an email sent to all employees last Friday by Shawn Nailor, Vermont’s chief information officer and secretary of digital services.

“An agency or agency employee shall not download or use the social networking service TikTok, or any successor application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Limited” — the Chinese company that owns TikTok — “or an entity owned by ByteDance Limited (‘TikTok’) on any State-owned electronic device,” Nailor wrote in the new regulation.

“An agency may not sponsor content on TikTok or maintain an agency-branded or agency-sponsored TikTok account,” Nailor wrote. “A person or entity contracted with an agency shall not download or use the TikTok application or visit any TikTok website on any State-owned electronic device.”

In his email, Nailor also announced Vermont is also ban - person Jamal Brown said governments’ TikTok bans reflect “nothing more than the hypothetical concerns they’ve heard on the news.”

“We can understand why state officials wouldn’t want state employees to have entertainment apps on their work devices for personal use, but singling out TikTok on all state devices and networks does nothing to improve security,” Brown wrote. “All it does is prevent state universities, health agencies, economic development agencies, and others needing to share information publicly from reaching their constituents on a platform loved by millions of Americans.” ning the Chinese social media app WeChat on state staff and contractors’ devices.

The two Chinese companies are the latest to be banned from Vermont state government devices. The regulations cite a 2019 worldwide threat assessment of the U.S. intelligence community, expressing concern “about the potential for Chinese intelligence and security services to use Chinese information technology firms as routine and systemic espionage platforms against the United States and allies.”

In an email, TikTok spokes - continued from page 5

Brown said TikTok is working with the federal government on solutions that would address security concerns.

The Vermont State Police is one state agency that has had a TikTok account.

Other states that have banned TikTok on state-owned devices include Texas and New Hampshire. In December, President Joe Biden signed a ban on the use of the social media app on all federal executive branch government devices, with some exceptions for law enforcement and national security purposes. The U.S. House of Representatives has also banned TikTok on all of its devices.

“We really want to support these postal workers because they are under extreme stress,” she said.

In its letter, the delegation requests that DeJoy answer six inquiries by March 1 and demands that the postmaster general address the issues in Hinesburg and staffing problems throughout Vermont.

The letter also notes the significance of the Postal Reform Act, which Congress passed last April to improve health care coverage and retirement benefits for employees. The legislation also calls for the creation of a public dashboard within the postal agency to track service.

“What efforts have you implemented so far? Do you plan to hire additional staff at locations in Vermont, and if so, how many,” the Vermont delegation asks in the letter.

This is not the first time Sanders has addressed issues with DeJoy, who has held the office of postmaster general since 2020.

In December 2021, Sanders called for DeJoy’s removal, citing his plan to “slow down” mail delivery, cut postal service hours and close processing centers.

“By any objective measure, Louis DeJoy, a top campaign contributor of Donald Trump, has been, by far and away, the worst Postmaster General in the modern history of America,” Sanders said in his December 2021 statement, which outlined similar mail delays in Vermont.

In this most recent missive, the congressional delegation expressed frustration at a lack of improvement.

“For years, our Vermont Congressional Delegation has engaged with you and regional Postal Service leadership in an attempt to address mail delays and staffing issues, yet no help has come.”

An email to the postmaster general’s public relations director was not immediately re -

Vermont congressional delegation turned Friday afternoon.

In Hinesburg, mail service appears to be improving, according to Lovell — and at a critical time as Town Meeting Day approaches. Lovell said she was nervous about whether voting materials would be delivered to residents in time, but so far, so good.

“I’m happy to say that everyone I talked to did get the Town Report … and the ballots are available now in fact, so that’s a huge relief,” Lovell said.