Department: Universal Services
Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director & CIO
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable): n/a
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): n/a
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): n/a
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): n/a
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for discussion and possible action of the Harris County Covered Applications Policy.
end
Background and Discussion:
Harris County’s Covered Applications Policy is being established to comply with Senate Bill (SB) 1893 passed during the 88th Texas Legislative Session which prohibited the use of covered applications on governmental entity devices. All governmental entities must adopt a covered applications policy by November 20, 2024.
On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott required 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. As required by Senate Bill 1893, Harris County, as a political subdivision of the State of Texas, is mandated to establish the Policy to prohibit the installation or use of covered applications on applicable devices.
A covered application is:
• The social media service TikTok or any successor application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Limited, or an entity owned by ByteDance Limited.
• A social media application or service specified by proclamation of the governor under Government Code Section 620.005.
The policy details the covered applications, exceptions, compliance, and review process.
Harris County Universal Services (HCUS) recommends implementation of a countywide Covered Applications Policy to comply with state law. All employees and agents of the County, whether permanent or temporary, interns, volunteers, contractors, consultants, vendors, and other third parties using the Harris County networks are required to abide by this policy.
Expected Impact:
The expected impact of the policy and procedure is a Covered Applications Policy that blocks covered applications as outlined by state law. If approved by Court, the policy will become effective immediately.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
X Governance and Customer Service
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Anticipated Court Date: November 12, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Amber Weed, Senior Manager, Policy, Universal Services
Attachments (if applicable): Covered Applications Policy (PDF)