The Florida Department of Management Services has proposed standards for the use of drones by government agencies, including barring drones manufactured by companies with ties to countries such as China.
The department published the proposed rule Monday in the Florida Administrative Register and set a Jan. 9 hearing in Tallahassee. It said the proposal stems from a 2021 law that required developing security standards.
Among other things, the proposal would bar agencies from using drones manufactured by companies linked to what the state has designated as “foreign countries of concern.”
Those countries are China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria.
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“The state of Florida and governmental agencies hold a variety of data on Floridians, strategically important information about facilities, and sensitive data such as investigatory materials for law enforcement purposes, to name a few,” the proposed rule said. “Balancing the interest in protecting the data of the state of Florida, Floridians, and partners against the ease of use of drone technology is the intent of the statutory language and this rule.”
This news comes as bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. senate introduced legislation on Tuesday to ban the social media app TikTok nationwide.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, alongside Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), today introduced bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok from operating in the United States.
“The Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship, and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act) would protect Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from TikTok and any other social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern,” said the lawmakers in a statement.
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