South Dakota Gov. Noem bans TikTok for state agencies, says app 'intelligence gathering' operation
Multiple lawmakers have targeted the Chinese social media app
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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday signed an executive order banning state agencies from using the social media platform TikTok.
Noem’s office said the Republican governor’s order comes "in response to the growing national security threat posed by TikTok due to its data gathering operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."
L-R: TikTok; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (Getty Images; AP / Fox News)
"South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us," Noem said in a statement. "The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data of the devices that access the platform."
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"Because of our serious duty to protect the private data of South Dakota citizens, we must take this action seriously," she said. "I hope other states will follow South Dakota’s lead, and Congress should take broader actions, as well."
TikTok app logo on the App Store is seen with TikTok logo displayed in the background in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland, on July 18, 2021. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The order applies to all employees of state government agencies and contractors using state devices, Noem’s office said. Her executive order prohibits downloading or using TikTok or visiting the website on state-owned or state-leased electronic devices capable of internet connectivity.
Lawmakers have taken aim at TikTok, citing concerns that the app’s popularity in the U.S. could give the Chinese Communist Party the ability to "subtly indoctrinate American citizens" and collect info on users.
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"TikTok is a major threat to U.S. national security," Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc. wrote recently in The Washington Post. "Unless TikTok and its algorithm can be separated from Beijing, the app’s use in the United States will continue to jeopardize our country’s safety and pave the way for a Chinese-influenced tech landscape here."
FOX Business’ Paul Best contributed to this report.