Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Sept. 22 signed a new executive order and unveiled a package of legislative proposals to combat “malign foreign influence,” particularly from communist China.
Standing behind a podium with a “Stop CCP Influence” sign, DeSantis said he signed an executive order to address the cybersecurity risks posed by foreign companies, especially those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The last thing we want to see is the [CCP] getting their mitts onto people’s personal information,” DeSantis said.
The new executive order, he said, prohibits Florida’s government agencies from procuring or using technology products and services from companies connected to “foreign countries of concern.” He added that these counties include China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, and “other types of regimes hostile to American interests.”
“This will prevent the exposure of Floridians’ personal information and technology systems in Florida to foreign entities and bad actors,” he said.
“One of the things they [the CCP] like to do is use technology to advance themselves and that includes trying to get personal information of Americans,” DeSantis said. TikTok was popular among teens in the United States.
The governor singled out Chinese-owned TikTok, hugely popular among young Americans, as a concern.
“They are amassing a lot of data,” he said of the app. “I think it’s a huge national security risk.”
The short-video app is founded and owned by Bytedance, a Beijing-based tech giant. The social media company’s Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas confirmed to the Senate Homeland Security on Sept. 14 that its China-based employees have access to U.S. users’ data.
“We really need to do much, much more,” DeSantis said on Sept. 22.
The governor added that he has proposed new legislation to block “government entities from contracting with companies owned by, controlled by, or domiciled in foreign countries of concern if the contract would provide access to Floridians’ personal information.”
Purchases of US Land
In addition to the cybersecurity concerns, the governor of the Sunshine State warned about U.S. land being purchased by the groups and companies with ties to the CCP.“Why are they doing that? Of course, they want to get intelligence; they want to know what’s going on here in the United States,” he said.
Noting that Florida is home to 21 military bases from every branch of the armed forces, DeSantis announced a new proposed legislative action that would curb the purchase of agricultural land and lands near military bases by foreign countries of concern.
As of 2019, more than 5 percent of the agricultural land in Florida was owned by foreign investors, the fifth-highest in the United States, according to the Republican governor. While some of the owners are from friendly countries like the UK, he said millions of Floridians need “a layer of protection” from the CCP.
“I think it’s a huge problem,” DeSantis said when asked about the report in a July interview with Fox News.
Scrutinizing College Donations
DeSantis also wants to step up efforts to safeguard higher education institutions’ intellectual property from the CCP.One of the new legislative proposals, DeSantis said, would ban “any gift to a higher education institution in Florida from any individual, private entities, or government organizations that is domiciled in a foreign country of concern.”
The governor said he has witnessed incidents in recent years involving foreign students or researchers coming to American universities and taking intellectual property back to China.
