Governor Abbott bans Chinese AI, social media apps on state-issued devices

Governor Abbott Fortifies Texas’ Cyberdefenses, Banning Chinese AI and Social Media Apps on State Devices

AUSTIN — In a decisive move to bolster cybersecurity, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has prohibited the use of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) and social media apps on state-issued devices. The ban, announced Friday, seeks to safeguard sensitive information from potential Chinese interference.

preocupied by the data collection capabilities of these apps, Governor Abbott has voiced concerns about their potential to extract and transmit sensitive information to servers in China. "The Chinese Communist Party will not compromise Texas’ critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps," he asserted.

Abbott has directed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Department of Information Resources to append several applications to the list of forbidden software for state employees, contractors, and students. Effective immediately, the use of the following apps is disallowed:

• Rednote
• DeepSeek
• Webull
• Tiger Brokers
• Wish
• Lemon8

This ban, echoing a directive from 2021 that blocked TikTok on government devices, underscores the administration’s commitment to protecting state data from foreign intrusion. "Our priority is to safeguard the people’s information and maintain the integrity of our infrastructure," said Governor Abbott.