ATLANTA — State employees using government-issued devices haven’t been able to access TikTok on them for years, but now more Chinese-owned apps are being banned.
On Friday, Gov. Brian Kemp shared a memo from the Georgia Technology Authority ordering state agencies to stop using RedNote, DeepSeek, Webull, Tiger Brokers, Moomoo and Lemon8.
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RedNote gained popularity earlier this year as the “TikTok alternative” when the app was set to be banned nationwide.
“In Georgia, we remain vigilant against any threat to the hardworking people of our state, our job creators, our communities, and the government that serves them. As foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party seek to gain a foothold wherever they can, we will take steps like this to prevent data from a state government device — some of which may be very sensitive in nature — from winding up in their hands,” Kemp wrote in a statement.
The Georgia Technology Authority says the Georgia Emergency Management Authority identified the apps as threats, leading to the crackdown.
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In 2022, Kemp took action to ban TikTok on state-owned devices.
He said then that the popular social media app is a security risk.
TikTok was banned nationwide for just a few hours in January.
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