PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order Thursday banning the China-based tech company Tencent from state devices.
According to Noem’s office, the company poses similar cybersecurity risks to the state as TikTok.
“My number one responsibility as Governor is to keep the people of South Dakota safe. South Dakota started the movement that has swept the country to ban TikTok on government devices,” said Gov. Noem. “Now, I am extending that ban to Tencent and other Chinese companies that are threats to our security.”
This order bans the downloading or use of any application or visiting of any website owned or controlled by Tencent on state devices, networks, etc. by:
- Employees of the State of South Dakota
- Agencies of the State of South Dakota
- People or entities who contract with the State of South Dakota, including any state agency, commission, or authority agents thereof.
According to Noem’s office, under the order, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications will have the power to ban “any other application, website, platform, service, or product whose use or access would be detrimental to state security in the same way as Tencent and Bytedance.”
A list of banned entities will be made available to the public.
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