Texas is upgrading its ban on TikTok.
Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced a statewide model security plan for the state's various agencies, banning the popular social media platform from state government devices and networks in the process.
The Governor previously ordered Texas state agencies to ban TikTok from all government devices in early December 2022 due to the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gaining access to critical US information and infrastructure.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
Texas TikTok Statewide Ban Details
Gov. Abbott mentioned in his announcement that his statewide model security plan for Texas state agencies aims to address vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and on personal and state-issued devices.
Fox News mentioned that the model was developed by the state's Department of Public Safety and Department of Information Resources for state agencies to use as a blueprint to create their own policy to support the plan. Additionally, state agencies will have until Feb. 15 to implement their own policy based on this model to enforce the ban.
According to the security plan, the download and/or use of TikTok on state-issued devices identified in the plan, such as state-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices capable of connecting to the internet, would be banned.
Additionally, state employees or contractors are now prohibited from conducting state business on prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.
Simply put, state employees and contractors are not allowed to use their personal devices with TikTok or other prohibited software installed for their work.
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According to Gizmodo, these prohibited software other than TikTok includes WeChat, Alipay, ByteDance, Tencent Holdings, and Kaspersky, the Russian-owned antivirus software. However, the publication notes that these prohibited software are far less popular than TikTok.
Speaking of employees, the state will soon identify sensitive locations, meetings, or personnel within an agency that could be exposed to prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.
Additionally, the security plan would have state agencies implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of prohibited technologies on agency networks by any device.
Last but not least, state agencies are asked to work with information security professionals to continuously update the list of prohibited technologies.
"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," Gov. Abbott said. "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."
He also added that it is important that state agencies and employees are protected from the vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and other prohibited technologies as they work on behalf of their fellow Texans.
Texas' Long-Time Concern With TikTok
Gov. Abbott's move is an upgrade to what he previously announced in December 2022. You may remember that he previously ordered the banning of TikTok from all government devices due to the national security concerns it poses due to it supposedly being a surveillance tool for the Chinese government.
This ban was followed by the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, which had the app banned from their networks and devices in line with the order Texas Governor Greg Abbott placed in the state, much to their students and staff's dismay.
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