DeSantis signs law banning TikTok in Florida public universities and offices

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed three laws on Monday to "counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party" in the state, one of which includes a ban on the use of TikTok in public offices and universities.

That law, SB 258, prohibits the application, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, from operating on wireless (wifi) internet networks and on mobile devices that are publicly owned.

Last month, the Board of Governors of the state's public universities approved an emergency regulation that banned TikTok, as well as the applications WeChat, Tencent QQ, VKontakte, and Kaspersky.

The three laws, which were signed today and approved during the session period that ended last Friday, aim to break the influence not only of China but also of other "hostile countries" such as Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, and North Korea, explained DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 elections.

The SB 264 rule prevents those countries and their agents from buying land within 10 miles (16 km) of military bases, agricultural land, and critical infrastructure of the state, as well as prohibiting companies linked to those countries from closing deals with the Florida government.

The SB 846 law, in turn, prevents universities from reaching agreements with those same countries, which includes receiving funds and gifts.

"Today we are really recognizing the threat and taking measures" against "the principal geopolitical threat to the United States," the governor said.

Last Friday, the Florida legislature closed its session period with the approval of a record budget of $117 billion, which marked the end of a legislative cycle.