South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed an executive order officially banning the social media app TikTok from state-owned devices that can access the internet, like phones and laptops. The move comes as concerns grow over the platform’s alleged infringement on national security.
Wait. What?
The wording of this executive order makes it sound like the government of South Dakota allows non-work-related, unapproved apps to be downloaded on state-owned devices. Could this be true? Is it possible that employees of the South Dakota government can still download any app they want (other than TikTok) to their work devices? If this is the case, South Dakota’s data is already at such high risk that TikTok is the least of their problems. I reached out to the governor’s office for comment, but I have not yet heard back.
Let’s hope, for the sake of the good citizens of South Dakota, that their governor and her administration have a better understanding of data privacy than is demonstrated by the wording of this order. Because, as written, this order is a world-class demonstration of technological cluelessness.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.