Gov. Brian Kemp previously issued an order banning state executive branch employees from using TikTok, WeChat and Telegram on state devices. The bill approved Monday would incorporate those limits into state law.
State Rep. Clint Crowe, a Republican from Jackson, said the bill’s purpose is to prevent “foreign adversaries” from accessing state information.
“This is about ensuring the security of state-owned devices (used by) state employees and students,” he said during Monday’s floor debate.
The bill would apply to all state devices used by K-12 public school employees and employees of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The bill does not prohibit the use of apps at universities.
Under the bill, which does not mention TikTok by name, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency would be required to use China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia to determine which social media would be required to maintain a list of “foreign adversaries” including: The site should be banned.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based in Beijing, and Chinese law requires companies to share data with the country’s government.
Social media platforms will continue to be permitted in law enforcement investigations, cybersecurity research, and judicial proceedings.