Bill Text: NJ A5080 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits download or use of TikTok application on any State-issued electronic device.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-01-19 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee [A5080 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A5080-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GREGORY P. MCGUCKIN
District 10 (Ocean)
Assemblyman JOHN CATALANO
District 10 (Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Space, Wirths and Assemblywoman McCarthy Patrick
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits download or use of TikTok application on any State-issued electronic device.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act prohibiting the download or use of the TikTok application on any State-issued electronic device and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. No State agency and no State officer or employee, as defined in section 2 of P.L.1971, c.182 (C.52:13D-13), shall download or use the social media application TikTok or visit the TikTok Internet website, or that of any successor application or service, on a State-issued electronic device, which shall include, but not be limited to, a State-issued cell phone, computer, tablet, or device capable of internet connectivity. No person or entity who contracts with the State of New Jersey or any State agency shall download or use the TikTok application or visit the TikTok Internet website on State-issued or State-leased electronic device, which shall include, but not be limited to, a State-issued or State-leased cell phone, computer, tablet, or device capable of Internet connectivity.
b. Any person who willfully violates the provisions of this section is a disorderly person and shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000, or imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both.
2. Section 1 of this act shall not apply to law enforcement officers engaged in investigative activities. The Attorney General shall establish guidelines for the appropriate use of TikTok and any successor applications or services in investigations carried out by law enforcement officers.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits the download or use of the social media application TikTok and visiting the TikTok Internet website, or that of any successor application or service, on State-issued electronic devices. On November 17, 2022, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the United States House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, present a significant security risk to the people of New Jersey and the United States. TikTok collects massive amounts of user data, which can be accessed by ByteDance employees. This includes employees in ByteDance's offices in China. Director Wray also testified that Chinese law allows the government to access data obtained from companies headquartered there. This combination of access and Chinese law may expose Americans to the risk of data collection and influence campaigns by the Chinese government.
By prohibiting TikTok on State-issued devices, this bill protects the people of New Jersey and the State government from these security risks. The bill also provides an exception for law enforcement officers using TikTok in investigative activities. The Attorney General will establish guidelines for the appropriate use of TikTok as an investigative tool.
