ByteDance and Tencent applications prohibited

JMU Information Techonology would like to remind employees of an amendment to Virginia state law that went into effect last July. The amendment prohibits JMU employees and contractors from using applications developed by ByteDance Ltd. or Tencent Holdings Ltd. on any state or JMU issued, owned, or leased devices or while connected to any JMU or state network. Examples of such devices mentioned in the law include mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, and tablets. Applications covered by the legislation include the popular social media platforms TikTok, WeChat and more. The full text of the law is available from the Virginia State Law Portal. Notice of this legislation was communicated directly to employees in May 2023.

This legislative action stems from concern about the ownership of ByteDance and Tencent being tied to the government of China and the potential for exposure of personal data. While the legislation does not cover the use of any application on your personal devices while connected to cellular and other outside networks, please remember that all social media use creates privacy risks.