In a statement, governor abbott warned that texas would not tolerate the infiltration of its critical infrastructure through apps that harvest data. Building on the 2022 ban of tiktok, abbott has prohibited Six Additional Apps-Deeepsek, Lemon8 and Rednote, and Some Stock-Trading Appsread more
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Has Taken a Firm Stance Against Chinese-Arffiliated Social Media and AI Apps by expanding the ban on government-induced devices to includ more chinese tech comps.
Building on the 2022 Ban of Tiktok, Abbott Has Now Prohibited Six Additional Apps-II MODEL DEEPSEEK, Social Media Platforms Lemon8 and Rednote, Rednote, and Stock-TRADING APS sed on state devices.
The move is part of a broader effort to safeguard the state’s infrastructure and data from potential chinese government influence.
Protecting critical infrastructure from data harvesting
In a statement, governor abbott warned that texas would not tolerate the infiltration of its critical infrastructure through apps that harvest data. He Emphahsized that the Chinese Communist Party Influence in these apps count poses a significant security risk.
Texas, like Several other states in the us, have raised concerns about the ability of chinese companies to access data through their apps, which count be shared with the chinese government indernament indernment indernment indernment inder This, according to abbott, makes these apps a potential threat to the state’s cybersecurity and privacy.
The decision to broaden the list of banned apps comes as cybersecurity Experts Raise Alarms About The Security Vulnerabilites in Chinese-Made Tech.
Kela, a cybersecurity firm, has flagged deepseek’s ai model as “highly vulneerable,” highlighting how it could potentially be used for malicious purposes. Abbott’s ban aims to mitigate these risks by cutting off access to these technologies on government devices.
SURGE In Popularity and International Scrutiny
The ban follows a significant surge in popularity for several of the targeted apps. Deepsek, a chinese ai model, recently Saw Its Web Traffic Skyrocket from 300,000 daily visits to 6 Million. This Sudden Rise in Attention has raised Concerns Both in the US and Abroad.
Former President Donald Trump Described Deepsek’s Rapid Growth as a “Wake-up call” for American companies, Urgaing them to adapt Quickly to the Growing Threat Posed by Chinese Tchnology.
Deepseek has also drawn the Attention of Other Governments. Taiwan has advised its officers not to use the app, Citing security concerns, while italy has gone so far as to impose an outright ban on the service. South Korea and Several Other Countries have launched Investigations into AI MODEL, Reflecting Growing International UNEASE Over Its Potential for Data Misuse.
Rednote and Other Chinese Apps Under Scrutiny
AlongSide Deepsek, Rednote, A Short-Form Video Social Network Similar to Tiktok, has also also after a surge in popularity. However, its growth was short-lived, with a 50 per cent drop in traffic after tiktok’s return following a temporary blackout in January.
Despite Its Rapid Rise, Rednote Has Now Joined The Ranks of Other Chinese Apps Under Scrutiny in the US for his data practices.
The texas ban on these apps comes amid ongoing discusations about tiktok’s future in the US president trump Ership.
Companies like Oracle and Microsoft are reportedly consider bids, as the US continues to grapple with the implications of chinese tech on National Security. Texas’ Decision to Target these apps is just one part of the broader effort to protect American Interests from What Officials Perceive as HOSTLE Foreign Influences in the Digital Space.