MARCH 7, 2023:
South Dakota has joined a 46-state coalition in filing an amicus brief asking that TikTok, Inc. comply with an ongoing investigation into whether the company violated consumer protections.
“This action is to determine whether TikTok engaged in deceptive and unfair conduct that harmed TikTok users, especially children and teens,” said state Attorney General Marty Jackley. “The State Attorneys General want to review internal TikTok communications that are critical to multistate investigations into the TikTok.”
The brief states that TikTok has repeatedly and knowingly failed to preserve relevant information and failed to provide international communications in a useful format to the states. The coalition has asked that the court compel TikTok to provide the information sought by the states.
Other attorneys general joining the brief are from the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, as well as the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.
The brief can be found here.
NOVEMBER 2022:
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed (Nov. 29, 2022) an executive order banning the use of the Chinese social media platform TikTok on state devices.
The order prohibits downloading or using the TikTok app or visiting the TikTok website on state-owned or state-leased electronic devices capable of internet connectivity. The ban takes effect immediately and applies to employees and agencies of the State of South Dakota– including persons and entities who contract with the state, commissions and authorities or agents thereof.
Noem says the order is in response to the “growing national security threat posed by TikTok due to its data gathering operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.” She says the Chinese Communist Party gathers data off of devices that access the platform and uses it “to manipulate the American people.”
Noem says South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of “nations who hate us.” She says it’s the state’s duty “to protect the private data of South Dakota citizens” and she hopes other states and the United States Congress will follow South Dakota’s lead.
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