A top Colorado Republican is calling on Governor Jared Polis to ban TikTok from Colorado government devices as bipartisan consensus against the Chinese spy app grows in Washington, DC and in state capitals across the country.
In a statement provided exclusively to Campfire Colorado, Colorado House Republican Minority Whip Richard Holtorf said, “As a State Representative and a combat veteran, I recognize there are many threats to the United States and to the State of Colorado. I recognize that China is a national security threat that is attempting to exploit technology around the entire world. Cyber Security experts have made it clear that the TikTok app is being used for data mining and data collection which is in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“It is inappropriate for these applications to be on state owned government devices, that includes handheld and computer devices used in all types of communications,” Holtorf continued. “I strongly encourage the Governor of Colorado and all head of departments to ban TikTok from state government devices. Political leaders in Colorado must make decisions that protect our government agencies against mega data mining used by foreign threats and I implore the Governor to protect our government institutes against such high security risks.”
Governor Jared Polis’s refusal to ban TikTok from state government devices stands in stark contrast to support for such actions at the federal level from fellow Colorado Democrat Senator Michael Bennet and Republican Congressman Ken Buck.
On Monday, President Joe Biden’s White House told government agencies they have 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and thirty-one states have banned the app from government devices – including three states governed by Democrats.
The City and County of Denver recently announced it will soon ban Tik Tok from city-owned devices due to cybersecurity concerns.
In a recent op-ed, Campfire Colorado Founder Matt Connelly called on Governor Polis to ban TikTok from Colorado state devices and delete the Chinese spy tool from his own phone.
“Unfortunately, Governor Jared Polis has refused to stand up to the Communist Party of China and ban TikTok on Colorado state devices,” Connelly said. “But the time has come for him to finally grow a backbone and take a stand.”