Legislation cracking down on TikTok and other apps passes Senate committee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – A bill that would prohibit certain applications from being installed on government devices was approved by a Senate committee on Wednesday.

The bill, SB 258, is sponsored by Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills and would ban the use of TikTok as well as other applications “created, maintained, or owned by a foreign principal” from government devices. 

The proposed legislation sailed through the Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability after receiving unanimous approval.

The proposed legislation’s ban of certain applications on government devices would not apply to law enforcement officers “if the use of the prohibited application is necessary to protect the public safety or conduct an investigation.”

Burgess said that apps like TikTok have “no place on government devices.”

“Our kids might think of TikTok as just a fun way to show videos. Unfortunately, that is not the case,” Burgess said. “It’s an addictive spyware app.”

The bill analysis categorized the company that owns TikTok, ByteDance Ltd., as a “security risk.”

The analysis said that “these companies are under increasing scrutiny by the U.S. government as a potential privacy and security risk to U.S. citizens.”

The state first took action on TikTok when Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis banned the use of the app in his office more than two years ago. 

Patronis called the social media application “digital Fentanyl” in an interview with Fox News.