Governor Greg Abbott proposes banning TikTok on government-issued devices

SAN ANTONIO. The move undermines US efforts to ease tensions with China. US officials have already warned of national security threats related to the TikTok app, which is owned by a Chinese company. Now Gov. Greg Abbott wants to ban the app from most government devices in the state.

TikTok has been in the news a lot lately. A press release from Gov. Abbott’s office outlines a plan to ban the app from devices that do government business to limit security risks to the state.

Darren Mott, a retired FBI surveillance special agent who now hosts a podcast called “The Cybur Guy,” told us, “If the state gives you a device or gives you access to their network and you have TikTok on your device, you open essentially a hole for the Chinese government to potentially collect information from this network.”

All a government official needs is to install TikTok on their government device, and that can cause a whole web of problems.

Mott said: “China is not only targeting the federal government in terms of spying, intelligence gathering. It’s also state and local municipalities and in Texas with the oil and gas industry that’s there, it’s a huge platform to gather information. that they will want to understand how the US and the gas industry will work.”

The Governor wants to prohibit and prevent the downloading or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on any identified government device, prohibit employees or contractors from conducting government business on prohibited devices, identify significant locations, meetings, or personnel within the agency that may be exposed to prohibited devices, implement network restrictions to prevent the use of prohibited technologies on agency networks by any device, and work with information security specialists to keep the list of prohibited technologies up to date.

Mott added: “Let’s say someone goes to the State Capitol and wants to know what it looks like inside the State Capitol. Theoretically, they can put it on the map by looking at this place.”

Here is the full press release from Gov. Abbott’s office:

Governor Greg Abbott today announced a Texas Model Security Plan for state agencies to address vulnerabilities associated with the use of TikTok and other software on personal and government devices. Following the Governor’s directive, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources have developed this template plan to help state agencies manage personal and state-issued devices used to conduct public business. Each state agency will have 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 our state’s important business should not be underestimated or ignored,” Gov. Abbott said. “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 information about the user’s Internet activity. Other prohibited technologies listed in the State Model Plan also pose a similar safety risk to Texans. It is imperative that government agencies and employees are protected from vulnerabilities associated with the use of this application and other prohibited technologies as they work on behalf of their fellow Texans. I thank the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources for their hard work in protecting sensitive information and critical state infrastructure from potential threats from hostile foreign actors.”

To protect sensitive information and critical Texas infrastructure from potential threats, the template plan defines the following objectives for each agency:

• Prohibit and prevent the download or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on any government device specified in the nationwide plan. This includes all government-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices that can connect to the Internet. Each agency’s IT department must strictly enforce this prohibition.
• Prevent employees or contractors from conducting government business on personal devices with prohibited technologies.
• Identify significant locations, meetings, or staff within the agency that may be exposed to prohibited technology-enabled personal devices. Prohibited technology-enabled personal devices will be denied entry or use in these secure areas.
• Implement network restrictions to prevent any device from using prohibited technologies on agency networks.
• Work with information security professionals to keep the list of prohibited technologies up to date.

In December 2022, Governor Abbott ordered government agency heads to immediately ban employees from downloading or using TikTok on any government-issued devices. The Governor also briefed Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan that the executive branch is ready to help codify and implement any necessary cybersecurity reforms passed in the current session of the legislature, including passing legislation making the governor’s directive to state agencies permanent.

Governor Abbott has taken significant action to combat Texas cybersecurity threats, including signing the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act of 2021 to harden certain physical infrastructure against threats that include hostile foreign forces.

View a sample state safety plan here.