Prohibited Technology
Background
On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive 1 requiring all state agencies to ban the video-sharing application TikTok from all state-owned and state-issued devices and networks over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to use the application for surveilling Texans. Governor Abbott also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) to develop a plan providing state agencies guidance on managing personal devices used to conduct state business.
Following the issuance of the Governor’s directive, the 88th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1893 2, which prohibits the use of covered applications on governmental entity devices.
The 89th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 127 3, which prohibits institutions of higher education from entering into or renewing contracts to provide testing, tutoring, or other education software included on a list published by the Higher Education Research Security Council, in consultation with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
Regulation
System Regulation 29.01.06, Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies, implements Texas Government Code Chapter 620 4 and the Governor’s Directive.
This regulation applies to the system and its members, including their employees, contractors, interns, and any users of member-owned networks.
Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies List
DIR maintains the current list of covered applications and prohibited technologies at https://dir.texas.gov/information-security/covered-applications-and-prohibited-technologies.
In addition to the list of technologies prohibited by DIR, the Texas A&M System prohibits:
- Hardware or software technology that record all the keystrokes entered into a keyboard or workstation. 5
- AI from third-party services that participates in online meetings to deliver transcription or summarization services may not be used for any meetings where non-public information, including information subject to disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 552), is discussed unless the service is under a contractual agreement with the system or member that includes provisions for data protection. 6
Higher Education Research Security Council Prohibited Software/Applications/Developers List
THECB maintains the current list of Higher Education Research Security Council Prohibited Software/Applications/Developers at https://www.highered.texas.gov/prohibited-software-applications-developers.
FAQs
Texas A&M System Cybersecurity maintains a list of FAQs regarding covered applications and prohibited technologies:
View Frequently Asked Questions