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Hogan announced on Tuesday, Dec. 6 that the state is issuing an emergency cybersecurity directive that will prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms - including TikTok - in the state's executive branch.
“These entities present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, surveillance of government entities, and inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information,” officials said.
The move comes on the same day as Republican representatives in Congress called on Gov.Tony Evers to take a similar measure, and days after FBI Director Christopher Wray reiterated that TikTok is a threat to national security.
“The Chinese government has shown a willingness to steal Americans’ data on a scale that dwarfs any other,” he said.
The directive applies to these platforms and products:
- TikTok;
- Huawei Technologies;
- ZTE Corp;
- Tencent Holdings;
- Tencent QQ;
- QQ Wallet;
- WeChat;
- Alibaba products, including but not limited to: AliPay and Kaspersky.
Under the directive, state agencies will have to remove any of those products from state networks, implement measures to prevent the installation of these products, and implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or access to, prohibited services.
“There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives,” Hogan said. “As the cyber capital of America, Maryland has taken bold and decisive actions to prepare for and address cybersecurity threats.
"To further protect our systems, we are issuing this emergency directive against foreign actors and organizations that seek to weaken and divide us.”
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