Speaker Pro Tem Rachelle Smit on Thursday testified before the House Rules Committee in support of her plan to ban foreign-based applications from government-issued devices and networks. The proposal was approved by the committee along party lines.

“These measures are designed to protect the digital assets and networks of public employers from security threats associated with certain foreign-owned applications,” said Smit, R-Martin. “One second, an inexperienced health and human services employee may be scrolling on Tik Tok, and moments later, some Chinese spy could be scrolling through the sensitive data of Medicaid recipients. The public doesn’t realize just how easy it can be for foreign actors to break down firewalls and threaten our most sensitive information.”

Smit’s plan, House Bill 4235, would require public employers to block prohibited applications from public access on their networks and restrict access to these applications on government-issued devices.​​

Prohibited applications are defined as internet applications created, maintained, or owned by foreign principals from countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, or Venezuela. These applications are characterized by activities like collecting sensitive data, compromising emails, conducting cyber espionage, tracking users, or spreading disinformation.​

“There is bipartisan support for taking these actions; both the Trump and Biden Administrations have prohibited certain applications on government-issued devices due to data security concerns,” Smit said. “More than 30 states have already banned certain applications from state-issued devices amid national security and privacy concerns. Keeping people and their data safe from hackers and foreign agents shouldn’t be a Republican or Democrat issue. We’re all Americans, and we all deserve protections from these evil invasions of privacy.”

The bill includes provisions allowing law enforcement officers to use prohibited applications when necessary for public safety or investigations. Additionally, public employers can request waivers from the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) to permit certain employees to access prohibited applications under specified conditions.​

Smit’s bill is part of a larger House Republican plan to end foreign influence in Michigan. Other legislation in the plan includes:

• Protect the safety of Michiganders by preventing entities of concern from purchasing land and surveilling military bases and other critical infrastructure.
• Prohibit public bodies from entering into constraining agreements with foreign countries of concern.
• Ensure public economic incentives are not awarded to foreign entities of concern.
• Protect the privacy of Michiganders by requiring healthcare providers to utilize only electronic health record technology that is physically maintained in the United States or Canada in storing patient medical information.

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