Maine is joining a group of states currently debating about whether or not to ban TikTok from government computers.

According to our info partners at CBS 13, 12 states, including New Hampshire, are currently taking steps to restrict the use of the popular social media app from government employees.

The Maine government is no exception from using TikTok. During the 2022 gubernatorial election, Governor Janet Mills joined the platform, and made multiple videos on the site for her campaign. According to the Mills administration, the devices used to record the videos weren’t government-issued. At the moment, the account has gone silent.

The U.S Senate banned federal government employees from using TikTok on government devices earlier this week, citing reasons such as the potential for the company to steal user data. These fears are fueled by the fact that the owners of TikTok, ByteDance, is based in China, and could give info over to the Chinese government.

But some, like UMaine New Media Professor Jon Ippolito, believe that the problem lies elsewhere. In a talk with CBS 13, Ippolito believes the problem is “Not really about spying, it’s really more about influence. This is something that, if we’re going to focus on TikTok as a problem, we should be focusing on all kinds of social media companies, not just those who happen to be headquartered in China.”

ByteDance has denied that the company is stealing user data, saying that the recent bans are based on “unfounded, politically charged falsehoods”. The Biden administration is currently talking with TikTok to reduce security concerns.

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