“Implementing Gov. Abbott’s Security Plan: Safeguarding Texas State Agencies from TikTok & Other Prohibited Technologies”

AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) – Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a statewide model security plan for Texas state agencies to address vulnerabilities created by the use of TikTok and other software on personal and state-issued devices.

Under the governor’s direction, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources developed the plan to guide state agencies in the management of personal and state-issued devices used to conduct state business.

Each state agency has until February 15, 2023 to implement its own policy to enforce this statewide plan.

“The security risks associated with using TikTok on devices used to conduct important business for our state cannot be underestimated or ignored,” Gov. Abbott said in a press release. “Owned by a Chinese company that employs members of the Chinese Communist Party, TikTok collects significant amounts of data from a user’s device, including details about a user’s internet activities. Other prohibited technologies listed in the statewide model plan also pose a similar security threat to Texans.”

The model plan outlines the following goals for each agency:

• Ban and prevent the downloading or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on all state-issued devices identified in the statewide plan. This includes all government-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other internet-connected devices. This prohibition must be strictly enforced by the IT department of each agency.
• Prohibit employees or contractors from conducting government business on prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.
• Identify sensitive locations, meetings, or employees within an agency that could be exposed to prohibited technology-enabled personal devices. Prohibited technology-enabled personal devices are denied entry or use in these sensitive areas.
• Implement network-based restrictions to prevent any device from using prohibited technologies on government networks.
• Work with information security professionals to continually update the list of prohibited technologies.

Gov. Greg Abbott bans TikTok on state-issued devices 02:36

In December 2022, Abbott directed state agency heads to immediately ban employees from downloading or using TikTok on government-issued devices. The governor cited what he calls a growing threat from the Chinese Communist Party.

At the time, the governor sent Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan a letter.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s threat to infiltrate the United States continues to grow. While the federal government has ultimate responsibility for foreign policy issues, the state also has the responsibility and the ability to protect itself,” Abbott wrote.

The Governor has informed both Patrick and Phelan that the Executive Branch stands ready to assist in the codification and implementation of any necessary cybersecurity reforms passed during the current legislative session, including the passage of legislation to amend the Governor’s policy for government agencies to make permanent.

In addition to banning TikTok, Abbott signed the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act in 2021 to protect certain physical infrastructure against threats that include hostile foreign actors.

“It is critical that state agencies and employees are protected from the vulnerabilities created by the use of this app and other prohibited technologies when working on behalf of their Texans,” Abbott said.

South Dakota, South Carolina, and Maryland have also banned the use of TikTok on government-issued devices.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security have banned use of the app on federally-issued devices.

TikTok has more than 85 million users in the US

Source: www.cbsnews.com