South Dakota Gov. Noem bans TikTok from state-owned devices
By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has issued an executive order banning state employees and contractors from accessing the video platform TikTok on state-owned devices, citing its ties to China. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. It has been targeted by Republicans who say the Chinese government could access user data like browsing history and location. The U.S. armed forces have also prohibited the app on military devices. TikTok executives have previously said the company protects all data from American users and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.