Gov. Greg Abbott gives Texas agencies until Feb. 15 to implement plans to ban TikTok

John C. Moritz, Corpus Christi Caller Times
·2 min read
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AUSTN — Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled what he calls a "statewide model security plan" aimed at limiting any negative effects of the app TikTok on state-issued computers and smartphones and personal devices used to conduct state business.

The announcement on Monday follows his directive of Dec. 7 when he banned the app on state equipment, citing concerns that the Chinese-owned company could gain access to Texas and U.S. information and pose a threat to critical infrastructure.

Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled what he calls a "statewide model security plan" aimed at limiting any negative effects of the app TikTok on state-issued computers and smartphones and personal devices used to conduct state business.
Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled what he calls a "statewide model security plan" aimed at limiting any negative effects of the app TikTok on state-issued computers and smartphones and personal devices used to conduct state business.

“The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state must not be underestimated or ignored,” Abbott said in a news release. “Owned by a Chinese company that employs Chinese Communist Party members, TikTok harvests significant amounts of data from a user’s device, including details about a user’s internet activity."

Two state agencies, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Department of Information Resources, have already developed the plans. The remaining state agencies must follow suit by Feb. 15.

What is in Abbott's TikTok directive?

  • Ban and prevent the download or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on any state-issued device identified in the statewide plan. This includes all state-issued cellphones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers and other devices capable of internet connectivity. Each agency’s IT department must strictly enforce this ban.

  • Prohibit employees or contractors from conducting state business on prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.

  • Identify sensitive locations, meetings or personnel within an agency that could be exposed to prohibited technology-enabled personal devices. Prohibited technology-enabled personal devices will be denied entry or use in these sensitive areas.

  • Implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of prohibited technologies on agency networks by any device.

What is TikTok and what does it do?

Owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, headquartered in Singapore since 2020, TikTok bills itself as "the world's leading destination for short-form mobile videos."

More:Is TikTok the new Google? Why TikTok is Gen Z's favorite search engine

"Our mission is to capture and present the world's creativity, knowledge, and moments," the company says on its website.

According to The Associated Press, about two-thirds of American teenagers use TikTok, making it the world's second-most popular domain in the world. According to the wire service's report last year, the app has sparked "bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation."

Nearly half the states have banned the app on state-owned devices.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Abbott gives Texas agencies until Feb. 15 to implement plans to ban TikTok