Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies

Overview

On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott required all state agencies to ban the video sharing application TikTok and other prohibited technologies from all state-owned devices and networks over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to use the application for surveilling Texans. Governor Abbott also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) to develop a plan providing state agencies guidance on managing personal devices used to conduct state business.

The 88th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1893 prohibiting the use of certain social media applications and services on governmental entity devices and directing DIR and  DPS to develop a model policy for the prohibition of Covered Applications. Government Code Chapter 620 requires governmental entities as defined to ban the social media service TikTok (Covered Applications) and any successor application developed by ByteDance.  This requirement applies to state and local government entities.

 The model Covered Applications policy is available below. 

Guidance

Governmental entities, as defined by Government Code Chapter 620, have until November 20, 2024, to adopt their own Covered Applications policy.  Prohibited Technology policies must remain in place for state agencies.  Exceptions to Prohibited Technology policies may be granted to enable law-enforcement investigations and other legitimate uses.  The exceptions may only be approved by the head of the agency.  This authority may not be delegated.  All approved exceptions must be reported to DIR.

Exceptions to Covered Applications policies may only be granted to the extent necessary for providing law enforcement or for developing or implementing information security measures.

The software and hardware products listed below are prohibited from being used on state-owned devices and networks.