Kristi Noem Bans TikTok on State Devices over Chinese Surveillance Concerns

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed an executive order on Tuesday banning the Chinese social media app TikTok from state government devices.

Gov. Noem said in a written statement:

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.

The order takes effect immediately and would apply to employees and agencies of the State of South Dakota, including persons and entities who contract with the state, commissions, and authorities or agents thereof. The order prohibits downloading or using the TikTok application or visiting the website on state-owned or state-leased electronic devices capable of internet connectivity.

Noem is the latest public official to take and/or call for action against TikTok over concerns that it could surveil Americans.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr in early November called for the United States to ban TikTok over privacy concerns.

“There simply isn’t a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that it’s not finding its way back into the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party],” Carr said.

The Donald Trump administration in 2020 attempted to ban TikTok, which would have resulted in ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, divesting the platform to an American company.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in mid-November that TikTok continues to be a “national security concern.”

Scott Adams, the Dilbert cartoonist, said  the China-controlled app could have helped Democrats win the midterm elections.

“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,” Noem concluded in her statement.