A state senator from Georgia is planning to file legislation to ban the app TikTok in the Peach State.
Senator Jason Anavitarte said Wednesday that he plans to file legislation for the upcoming legislative session to ban the mobile app ‘TikTok’ in Georgia. He issued a press release detailing the forthcoming move.
Anavitarte is the Chairman of the Senate Study Committee on the Creation of a Georgia Cybersecurity Force, which is seemingly the reason Anavitarte believes he is qualified to make such a decision on behalf of 10 million Georgians when largely, ‘the internet’ is not regulated by states.
“TikTok is malware produced by Communist China to spy on Americans and influence our elections. It is a national security threat and has no place in Georgia. While TiTok isn’t operated directly by the Chinese Government, its parent company ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing and China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires all of its citizens and businesses to assist in intelligence gathering and sharing any data with the Chinese government. China also has a long history of using domestic telecom companies for nefarious purposes. Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera, and Dahua Technology make up a growing list of Chinese companies US authorities say pose and “unacceptable” risk to national security.”
Anavitarte said he plans to ‘work closely with Governor Brian Kemp to craft an executive order similar to those enacted by Governors Krisi Noem (R- SD) and Larry Hogan (R-MD) that bans TikTok on government owned devices or personal devices used to access sensitive government systems.
“Banning TikTok via the legislative process may take some time, but Governor Kemp can have an immediate impact on our cyber security by prohibiting TikTok in executive agencies. I look forward to working with the Governor to make this happen,” said Anavitarte.
“Whether it’s making sure state and local governments don’t use TikTok, or preventing the application from being downloaded in the first place, all options must be on the table to make sure the Chinese Communist Part isn’t spreading malware in Georgia,” he said.”
Contact information for Senator Anavitarte includes: jason@jasonanavitarte.com, jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov, and (404) 656-0085.
