{"id":8525,"date":"2026-02-05T21:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tsc.edu\/news\/?p=8525"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:21:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T17:21:46","slug":"governor-abbott-updates-texas-prohibited-technologies-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tsc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/governor-abbott-updates-texas-prohibited-technologies-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Abbott updates Texas’ prohibited technologies list"},"content":{"rendered":"

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January 26, 2026 | Austin, Texas | Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n

Governor Greg Abbott today updated the state\u2019s list of prohibited technologies for state employees and devices. The update, done in consultation with Texas Cyber Command (TXCC) Chief,\u00a0Vice Admiral\u00a0TJ White (USN, Ret.), includes additional restrictions on physical hardware, artificial intelligence (AI), and software affiliated with the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).<\/p>\n

“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\u2019s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and any other hostile foreign actors who may attempt to undermine the safety and security of Texas.”<\/p>\n

In a letter<\/a> to Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Freeman Martin, Texas Department of Information Resources Interim Director Tony Sauerhoff, and Chief White,\u00a0Governor Abbott named TXCC the lead agency in identifying any additional technology that poses a threat to the State\u2019s sensitive information.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

In June, Governor Abbott established<\/a>\u00a0the TXCC, the largest state-based cybersecurity department in America, to combat cyber threats\u00a0and holistically enhance the state\u2019s cybersecurity posture, coordination, and strategy.<\/p>\n

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Prohibited Software\/Applications\/Developers\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0
Last Updated February 4, 2026<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n