Texas Governor Greg Abbott has expanded the list of prohibited technologies for state employees and devices, targeting hardware, artificial intelligence (AI), and software linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The update was made in coordination with Texas Cyber Command (TXCC) Chief Vice Admiral TJ White (USN, Ret.).
“Rogue actors across the globe who wish harm on Texans should not be allowed to infiltrate our state’s network and devices,” said Governor Abbott. “Hostile adversaries harvest user data through AI and other applications and hardware to exploit, manipulate, and violate users and put them at extreme risk. Today, I am expanding the prohibited technologies list to mitigate that risk and protect the privacy of Texans from the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and any other hostile foreign actors who may attempt to undermine the safety and security of Texas.”
In a letter addressed to Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Freeman Martin, Texas Department of Information Resources Interim Director Tony Sauerhoff, and Chief White, Governor Abbott designated TXCC as the lead agency responsible for identifying additional technology threats to sensitive state information.
“The Governor and the Legislature gave a clear mission for the Texas Cyber Command – protect Texans from hostile foreign nations and cyber threat actors,” said Chief White. “As TXCC works to stand up its full arsenal of operational assets, we are pleased to lead this effort to prevent cyber attacks that have the potential to exfiltrate sensitive information to bad actors across the globe.”
Governor Abbott established TXCC in June as part of an effort to strengthen cybersecurity measures in Texas. The department is now considered one of the largest state-based cybersecurity agencies in America.
Following a threat assessment conducted by TXCC under Governor Abbott’s direction, several companies were added to Texas’ prohibited technology list. These include SenseTime, Megvii, CloudWalk, Autel, CATL, Wuhan Geosun LiDAR, Yitu, iFlytek, Uniview, Zhipu (Z.ai), Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), Alibaba, Xiaomi, Gotion High Tech, Baidu, RoboSense LiDAR, TP-Link, Hisense, TCL, Baichuan, StepFun, MiniMax, PDD (Pinduoduo/Temu), Shein, Moonshot AI,and NucTech.
