CASPER — Gov. Mark Gordon announced Thursday a ban on the social media platform TikTok from all government devices and networks. 

“I recognize that the state has a vital role to play in protecting its citizens from, as well as identifying and responding to, cybersecurity threats that could impact Wyoming’s collective safety and privacy,” Gordon said in a memo to state employees. 

Gordon’s announcement comes as several other Republican states have banned or taken steps toward ousting TikTok amid concerns that the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is being harvested for user data. 

The move in some states to oust the social media platform is paralleled by similar efforts on the federal level. 

The U.S. Senate passed with unanimous consent a bill late Wednesday that, if signed into law, would ban TikTok on government devices. The bill still needs to clear the U.S. House before the congressional session ends, which will likely be right before Christmas, and signed by President Joe Biden to become law. A similar bill may be taken up for consideration in the House.

Another bill in the Senate would ban TikTok outright in the U.S. 

The growing concern nationwide around TikTok spurred Gordon to ask for a review last week of the social media platform. 

“The risk is that TikTok may be compelled to share information with those who are adverse to Wyoming’s interests,” Gordon said in his statement. “Law enforcement warns that TikTok may not control its algorithm, allowing users’ devices to be compromised.” 

Wyoming’s block on TikTok “extends to all state-issued cellphones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other information technology equipment capable of internet connectivity,” though the governor’s office “may grant exceptions to enable law enforcement investigations and other uses as needed.” 

The ban’s implementation should happen pretty quickly.

Gordon’s spokesperson Michael Pearlman told the Star-Tribune on Thursday  there are fewer than 20 government devices with TikTok installed. He said in a subsequent email that the “network block of TikTok is already in process.” 

Gordon said in his statement Thursday that he is also “directing a coordinated review” to root out other cyber threats to state networks. 

Hours prior to Gordon’s announcement, Trump-backed Secretary of State-elect Chuck Gray announced that he planned to ban TikTok on government devices in the Secretary of State’s office once he takes up the role in January. 

“To ensure Wyoming maintains integrity in its elections, adequate securities regulation, and the appropriate and safe custody of the many business records maintained by the office, action must be taken before it is too late,” Gray said in his statement. 

Gray later posted his message on Twitter. 

“We are banning the use of TikTok in the Secretary of State’s office,” he wrote in the post. “TikTok is a threat to our security. I look forward to other state officials nationwide joining our office in this effort.” 

Gray said in a text to the Star-Tribune that he had communicated with Gordon about his intention to ban TikTok in the Secretary of state’s office prior to his Thursday statement. 

Pearlman told the Star-Tribune that Gordon had shared with the secretary of state-elect on Wednesday his plans to ban the social media platform from all government devices and networks. Gordon’s ban encompasses the secretary of state’s office.