Republican Governor Greg Abbott revealed his plan for a Texas TikTok ban. Following a December directive to crack down on the usage of the well-known social media app, Abbott (R) launched on Monday a state-wide plan to ban TikTok from state-issued devices and networks.
For the last few months, security concerns about TikTok have been rising among republican senators and governors, arguing that the Chinese-owned app was violating the cybersecurity of American citizens on the sly. Abbott is the first governor to introduce a plan to ban the app on a statewide range. Several other companies are included in the ban, and you can read the complete report issued by the Texas Government. If you wish to know more about who the Texas TikTok ban affects specifically, you may read on.
The scope of the Texas TikTok ban
It should be noted that this ban does not include every citizen of the state but rather prohibits the downloading of the app on state-issued devices of all kinds. Additionally, it would be illegal for workers or independent contractors to use forbidden technologies on state-owned equipment. Therefore, the Texas TikTok ban suggests that if state employees or people doing business with the state wish to use TikTok, they will have to use the app on different devices from the ones they are using for work.
Abbott said in a statement, “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.”
What happened before, and what should TikTok expect now?
A spokesman for TikTok told The Hill in a statement: “We’re sorry to see the unintended consequences of these rushed TikTok bans—policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity—beginning to impact universities’ ability to share information, recruit students, and build communities around athletic teams, student groups, campus publications, and more.”
A bill to prohibit TikTok on devices provided by the government for use by federal employees was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). The Senate approved it with a unanimous vote, included in a package of funding for the government at the end of the previous year, and then signed into law by U.S. President Biden. The Texas TikTok ban has been the first statewide prohibition of the app, and many states are expected to follow Abbett in the coming months.
