South Dakota has become the first US state to ban TikTok from all state-owned devices over surveillance and espionage concerns.
TikTok has been widely criticized as a threat to US national security and individual privacy. The company has stumbled from one privacy debacle to another, being accused of possible keylogging, planning to surveil specific Americans, processing US data in China after telling Congress it would be handled in the US, and much more.
In response to the ongoing issues, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order banning TikTok from all state-owned devices. The ban includes “persons and entities who contract with the state, commissions, and authorities or agents thereof.” The order prohibits the use of the TikTok app, as well as the website.
“South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “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,” continued Governor Noem.