Gov. Greg Abbott has released a nine-page plan to implement his order to ban TikTok from state use.
The plan was released Monday and would prohibit people who use state government phones, tablets, or other devices from either downloading or using TikTok, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
The reason for this, Abbott said, was to combat what he described as “vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and other software.”
“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,” Abbott said in a statement. “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.”
TikTok has responded by saying that there is no danger to users in regard to their data, but at the same, admitted that its data can be accessed by the Chinese government, Fox 4 reported.
This would effectively ban people who work for the State of Texas from conducting business on their personal devices if TikTok is installed on them.
This plan was developed by the state’s Department of Public Safety and Department of Information Resources, which jointly created the nine-page outline for various state agencies to judge how the app is treated on their networks.
TikTok is operated by a Chinese company, ByteDance, and Chinese companies are required to share data with the Chinese government if it is requested.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) also confirmed Friday that TikTok could no longer be accessed from DISD Wi-Fi networks or devices. It took a similar line to Abbott, stating that the ban was due to concerns over cybersecurity.
State agencies were given a deadline of February 15 to update their policies in regard to TikTok, according to the governor’s release.