(The Center Square) — Georgia lawmakers have proposed legislation prohibiting state employees from using social media platforms that a foreign adversary controls on their state devices.
Senate Bill 93 would apply the prohibition to state-owned devices the legislative and judicial branches use and K-12 schools statewide. It would bar employees from using TikTok.
TikTok faces increasing scrutiny nationwide for its purported connection to the Chinese Communist Party. According to lawmakers, Chinese law requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to make the app’s data available to the CCP.
“This shouldn’t be a controversial piece of legislation,” Senate Majority Caucus Chairman Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, said in an announcement. “Numerous cyber security and national intelligence officials have identified TikTok as a significant espionage threat.
“The federal government is considering legislation that will ban TikTok nationwide and we will do our part in Georgia,” Anavitarte added. “Even without the malware concerns, government employees and students shouldn’t be using social media sites like TikTok while they are at work and school.”
In December, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, banned TikTok, Telegram and WeChat from state-owned devices. SB 93 would also require the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency’s director to maintain a list of “foreign adversaries” and publish it on its website.
The legislation would not bar Georgians from using TikTok on their personal devices.
Separately, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, asked the CEOs of Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their companies’ app stores, citing national security concerns.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
