Tiktok Banned In Indiana

Indiana Blocks TikTok from State Devices

Indiana House Passes Bill to Force TikTok's Chinese Parent Company to Sell

State Attorney General Files Lawsuits Accusing TikTok of Deceptive Practices

The state of Indiana has taken significant steps to restrict the use of TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned social media app. On Wednesday, the Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill that would force TikTok's Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its ownership of the app.

In addition, the Indiana Office of Technology has blocked TikTok from being used on state-owned devices and networks. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has also filed two separate lawsuits against TikTok, alleging that the company has deceived users about its data privacy practices.

Indiana was one of the first states in the U.S. to take action against TikTok. In December 2022, Governor Eric Holcomb issued an executive order banning the use of the app on state-issued devices. The state's technology office has been enforcing the ban for the past three weeks.

The Indiana House of Representatives bill, HB 1183, would go further than the executive order by requiring ByteDance to sell its ownership of TikTok within 90 days of the bill's passage. The bill would also prohibit state agencies from contracting with companies that do business with ByteDance.

The Indiana Attorney General's lawsuits allege that TikTok has violated Indiana's Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by misrepresenting its data privacy practices. The lawsuits seek injunctive relief to stop TikTok from continuing the alleged deceptive practices.

The actions taken by the state of Indiana are part of a growing trend of government scrutiny of TikTok. The U.S. government has expressed concerns about the app's potential to be used by the Chinese government for surveillance and propaganda purposes.