Governor Kelly Armstrong has rescinded a ban that prohibited executive branch agencies in North Dakota from using TikTok on state-owned devices.
A statement from Armstrong’s office states the rescission comes as the social media video sharing app is now majority owned by an American-led consortium.
The agencies are now allowed to request access to TikTok on state-owned devices. Those requests will go through North Dakota’s Information Technology standard application review process, and must meet security requirements before approval.
Former Governor Doug Burgum issued the ban in December of 2022, citing national security concerns over how the app collected and shared data when Chinese parent company ByteDance was the majority owner. Last September, President Trump issued an executive order approving a divestiture of TikTok’s US operations to a new joint venture majority-owned by American investors.
