Social Media

At least 18 states have banned staffers’ use on government devices of the social media app TikTok over concerns about the possible security risks posed by the Chinese-owned company.

A TikTok ban on state-issued devices is already in place in most areas of state government, and Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday he will introduce a bill next month to include the ban for all entities related to the state.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice put the brakes on an effort to ban TikTok on state-issued devices Monday, saying the state's current cybersecurity measures already block the social media app on state networks.

The U.S. government regulates many industries, but social media companies don’t neatly fit existing regulatory templates. Systems that deliver energy may be the closest analog.

TikTok, the popular social video platform owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has been banned on government-owned devices in several states for security concerns. The latest governors to ban it are in Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.

Rep. Jared Patterson has introduced legislation aimed at keeping everyone under the age of 18 off of social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter and Facebook. The bill is the state's latest attempt to reduce the power tech companies wield.

In a U.S. Supreme Court filing on Wednesday night, the Justice Department argued that social media websites should be held responsible for some of the ways their algorithms decide what content to put in front of users.

Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a ban on the use of the popular social media platform on all government-issued devices. The move comes amid growing concern about the implications of the company’s ties to the Chinese government.

The social media companies and free speech advocates are joining forces in a rare cooperative effort to oppose a measure that would allow news organizations to collectively bargain with tech companies for content distribution.

Like South Dakota, Maryland has now banned the use of the popular social media platform TikTok across executive branch agencies. Gov. Larry Hogan cited cybersecurity risks posed by the China-based company in an announcement Tuesday.

A private Dominican college is suspending activity on the official Twitter accounts of the college itself and the athletics department due to a spike in hate speech, racial slurs and misinformation.

Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order this week banning the use of the popular social media platform TikTok on state-issued devices. Noem cited concerns about the platform’s connection to the Chinese government.

The system that the Washington State Patrol uses to find missing persons has helped locate 70 people in 77 cases. Now the system is able to geo-target the Wireless Emergency Alerts directly to subscribers' cell phones.

The state legislature overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill that would mandate the creation of statewide guidelines for lessons on information literacy across digital, visual and technological media.

Some public-sector agencies are getting good — and very funny — on Twitter. From states and cities to special districts and public safety, here's a nonexhaustive look at a few of our favorites.

The company has added the ability to automatically store content from agencies and schools posted on the world's sixth-largest social media platform. But due to API restrictions, its capabilities are limited — for now.

Amid account verification turmoil and warnings of potential outages at Twitter, some agencies say they have no plans to leave, but are alerting users to other social media options and tips for spotting real accounts.

Election-related disinformation built on strategies tested in 2020, and its believers remain a strong community, those watching the space say. Though voters rejected many election denier candidates, there is still cause for concern.