The TikTok app, used by more than 85 million Americans on their smart phones, is owned by ByteDance Ltd., which employs Chinese Communist Party members and its subsidiary is partially owned by the CCP.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced a new statewide security plan for Texas state agencies to follow one month after he instructed state agencies to ban employees from using TikTok from government-issued devices. Texas’ new security plan applies to personal and state-issued devices used by employees to conduct state business. Each state agency has until Feb. 15 to comply with the new plan.
“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,” 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. Other prohibited technologies listed in the statewide model plan also produce a similar threat to the security of Texans. It is critical that state agencies and employees are protected from the vulnerabilities presented by the use of this app and other prohibited technologies as they work on behalf of their fellow Texans.”
