Kristi Noem, South Dakota governer has signed an executive order that officially banned the social media app TikTok from state-owned devices that can access the internet, like phones and laptops. The move comes as concerns over the Tiktok’s reported infringement on national security grows.
The Republican Governor signed Executive Order on Tuesday. She said on Twitter, “We will play no part in allowing China to continue to gain intel and influence in our state.” The order claims that out of TikTok’s one billion global users, 135 million are in the U.S.—which is over a third of the country’s population—and continues to say that TikTok’s parent company, China-owned ByteDance, has access to user data like keystrokes which can in turn be accessed by the Chinese government.
Noem in a press release said, “South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us. The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform.”
“Because of our serious duty to protect the private data of South Dakota citizens, we must take this action immediately. I hope other states will follow South Dakota’s lead, and Congress should take broader action, as well,” said Noem.