SD Governor Bans TikTok From State Devices

TikTok is now an app non grata on state-owned and state-leased devices in South Dakota. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order Tuesday blocking use of the popular social media app, the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader reports. TikTok downloads and use of the app or the TikTok website are now banned on state devices used by state employees, contractors, and agencies. Noem's office said the move came "in response to the growing national security threat posed by TikTok due to its data gathering operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party," reports Fox Business. Earlier this year, House lawmakers were urged to avoid using the Chinese-owned app because of potential security issues and concerns about how it handles data.

"South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us," Noem said in a statement, per the Hill. "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." She said she hopes "other states will follow South Dakota’s lead, and Congress should take broader action, as well." Noem's office said the state's department of tourism has deleted its account. It's not clear what will happen to the TikTok accounts of South Dakota's public universities, the Argus Leader notes. (More TikTok stories.)