Texas governor unveils plan for statewide TikTok ban

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) unveiled Monday a statewide plan to ban TikTok from state government-issued units and networks, following a December order to crack down on using the favored social media app.

“The safety dangers related to using TikTok on units used to conduct the vital enterprise of our state should not be underestimated or ignored,” Abbott mentioned in an announcement.

“Owned by a Chinese language firm that employs Chinese language Communist Celebration members, TikTok harvests vital quantities of information from a person’s gadget, together with particulars a few person’s web exercise,” he added.

The statewide plan would forestall the obtain or use of TikTok and different prohibited applied sciences on state-issued units, together with cellphones, laptops, tablets and desktop computer systems. 

It will additionally prohibit staff or contractors from conducting state enterprise on units with prohibited applied sciences. The plan additionally contains restrictions from utilizing TikTok and different prohibited applied sciences on state-issued web networks.

“It’s essential that state companies and staff are shielded from the vulnerabilities introduced by means of this app and different prohibited applied sciences as they work on behalf of their fellow Texans.”

State companies in Texas may have till Feb. 15 to implement insurance policies that assist the statewide plan. 

Abbott is certainly one of many Republican governors to have issued the ban on authorities units, together with in Ohio, South Dakota and Maryland. 

U.S. lawmakers have additionally adopted swimsuit.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) launched a invoice to ban TikTok on government-issued units for federal staff. The laws unanimously handed the Senate and was added right into a authorities funding package deal on the finish of final 12 months and signed into legislation by President Biden.

Hawley has since launched one other invoice that will ban the app nationwide. This might be the primary of its variety to be launched this Congress, following an analogous proposal led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) final 12 months.

“We’re sorry to see the unintended penalties of those rushed TikTok bans—insurance policies that can do nothing to advance cybersecurity—starting to impression universities’ skill to share info, recruit college students, and construct communities round athletic groups, pupil teams, campus publications, and extra,” a TikTok spokesperson mentioned in an announcement to The Hill.