Noem: TikTok is a no-no on state government devices

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed an executive order to ban the social media platform TikTok for people using state government devices.

According to a release from the governor’s office, Noem took this action “in response to the growing national security threat posed by TikTok due to its data gathering operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.”

“South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us,” Noem said. “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.”

It applies to employees and agencies of the state, including contractors, when using state-owned or leased electronic devices capable of accessing the internet. However, the executive order has no teeth when people use their personal devices.

According to statista.com, there are around 87 million TikTok users in the U.S.

There has been wide, non-partisan concern that the popular social media site could be used to gather data for the Chinese government.

In September, South Dakota Republican Representative Dusty Johnson introduced legislation to block TikTok, titled “Block the Tok” Act.

China’s ownership of the TikTok app has given China access to an unprecedented amount of American’s personal data—including voice and facial data. This is a national security concern.
— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) September 6, 2022

Recently, one of the five members of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, called on Congress to ban TikTok. Carr was appointed to the FCC by former President Donald Trump.

In 2020, Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok in the U.S. but it was blocked by a federal judge and ultimately dropped by Joe Biden when he became president.