South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has banned state agencies, employees and contractors from using TikTok on state-issued devices.
Noem signed an executive order which notes security concerns about the platform, which is operated by Chinese tech company ByteDance.
“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," Noem claimed.
Noem said she hopes other states follow South Dakota's lead. She also urged Congress to take action to protect information gathered by TikTok.
Sen. Marco Rubio has called TikTok a "major threat to U.S. national security." He said he is introducing legislation to ban social media companies that are "effectively controlled" by the Chinese government. He notes that ByteDance is not a state-owned enterprise, but claims it is exposed to the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
