back to article TikTok NSFW if you work for the South Dakota government

The governor of South Dakota issued an executive order on Tuesday banning the use of Chinese social media platform TikTok for state government agencies, employees and contractors on state devices. In a press release the state government said the order was in response to the growing national security threat posed by TikTok's …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Terrorist vs Freedom fighter

    TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, could gain control of user data stored on mobile devices, such as browsing history, location and keystrokes, and use it to gather sensitive information, steal intellectual property or for other "illicit purposes."

    How dare they, that's the NSA's job

    1. Captain Scarlet
      Coat

      Re: Terrorist vs Freedom fighter

      *GCHQ sits quitely in the corner giving thumbs up to anyone pointing at the NSA first*

  2. that one in the corner Silver badge

    > TikTok doesn't just see user videos, it "collects search and browsing histories... plus ... stored on a device's clipboard."

    Pretty standard fare for any old 'phone app

    > Chinese national security laws compel companies operating in China to share their data with the government upon request

    Whereas the US laws explicitly prevent anything like that, eh?

    > The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people

    The US party (parties!) have never, ever attempted to manipulate anyone, American or dirty foreign scum (aka "allies").

    > Common criticisms against TikTok ... are that it is harmful and addictive, and contains misinformation

    And competes in these important arenas with Good Old Yank companies like FB, YT, Twitter

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      There is that, but it IS still a spy tool from the CCP.

      Don't need excuses (but other apps horde data too) laws, and or competing products to know that it is what it is.

      But I do think you (that one in the corner) should use it, be sure to try the "Invisible Challenge" app too :P

      1. that one in the corner Silver badge

        > There is that, but it IS still a spy tool from the CCP

        Don't deny that.

        But from the point of view of the majority of the people in the world who are part of neither China nor the US, we're seeing *both* lots gathering the same information on everyone (or having a damn good try at doing so).

        Any particular reason to be happier about one side rather than the other?

        (And, yes, the UK, France, Kenya, Tuvalu and all the rest would probably also like to get the same info, but so far only two players have managed to get massive numbers of people to voluntarily install the apps).

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "one side rather than the other"

          I don't use apps on my phone, beside the map app built in, so, I see both sides as bad and don't play their games.

  3. Roger Kynaston

    Sounds like a replay

    will they remake the Manchurian Candidate to have all the sleeper agents controlled by tiktok?

    I do wish that "these people" could be a bit more imaginative when coming up with bogey people.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sounds like a replay

      At least it is an example of banning a "social" media site. It's not a great example, but we need more even if it's just for one entertainment+gossip.

      "...nations who hate us,"

      China hates us? Can't say I believe that for 1 second. I know the banks can't believe that.

      The whole thing comes.off as a deceptive hate speech (which IMO is worse than an intentional hate speech).

    2. withQuietEyes

      Re: Sounds like a replay

      On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, I would 100% watch that movie. Possibly while drunk and/or stoned, depending who made it, but it would be brilliant. King of bad cult classics.

      1. HMcG

        Re: Sounds like a replay

        Little Trouble in Big China

  4. Richard 12 Silver badge

    So they'll be surprised instead

    As nobody will be permitted to monitor the latest tiktok trends, they'll be utterly shocked when something happens.

    Like a concerted effort to get people to vote, or other anti-GOP acts.

  5. Plest Silver badge
    Mushroom

    TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective

    Social media is mental torture, it's doing us all in and the quicker we stop using it and try to get our kids off it and back to having more than 15 sec attention spans, the better humanity will be. Have you ever watched Snapchat video feeds? 10-15 secs back to back continous video stream of absolute garbage! TikTok, basically Chinese spyware pretending to be "for da yoof", meanwhile turning our young people into jibbering morons, all in the name of making people crave careers as "content creators". Some of it is valid but 95% of it is trash.

    1. ArrZarr Silver badge

      Re: TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective

      Oh dear, have you lost your bottle of dried frog pills?

    2. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective

      When I used to use public transport I saw it every morning but it was with the adults... You recognize it immediately because they use their phone with one hand and just need a small thumb movement to switch between the videos. There was never any text on the screens, it was just ensledd videos.

      I have never actually seen TikTok outside of what I have seen on the YT streams.

    3. Marty McFly Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective

      I disagree.

      95% is too low. That is literally saying 1:20 is useful content. 1:1000 maybe, but that is still a stretch.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "contains misinformation"

    User provided content is not always accurate?

    I'm shocked. Shocked I say!

  7. Paul Smith
    Mushroom

    Pot calling Kettle, Pot calling Kettle. Come in Kettle.

    And in related news, Germany has announced that it is banning Microsoft 365 products from its schools because of their inability to operate without sending personal information to the United States.

  8. JassMan

    Governor bans platform and website from all state-owned devices that can connect to the internet

    Well duhhh! Who'd want to run it on a device which can't connect to the internet. Just ban it from all state-owned devices

    The problem with legislators they always like to add extra phrases to any statement which in other circumstances can be used as loop-holes. That's why the very rich pay less tax than lower income earners.

  9. YetAnotherXyzzy

    A good start

    Not because TikTok is turning the children of South Dakota into Manchurian candidates, but because it's a time waster unrelated to the employees' jobs. My wife is a government employee (not of South Dakota) and at her workplace all kinds of time wasting nonsense are blocked, simply because the taxpayers would appreciate it if their public employees would do something other than watch videos all day.

    She is told that the public affairs office has a pass. Which makes sense because those folks are paid to create time wasting nonsense.

    The anti-commie rhetoric is a bit silly, but they're politicians. When the electorate is silly, it's pretty much a job requirement to say silly things.

    1. Someone Else Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: A good start

      She is told that the public affairs office has a pass. Which makes sense because those folks are paid to create time wasting nonsense.

      Upvoted for that!

  10. 43300 Silver badge

    "The Chinese Communist Party may attain this personal information because ByteDance is headquartered in China and Chinese national security laws compel companies operating in China to share their data with the government upon request,"

    Good job the US government doesn't do that sort of thing, isn't it!

  11. An_Old_Dog Silver badge
    Joke

    After a TikTok-based credentials compromise comes the spear-phishing ...

    emails such as, "Hello! I am the Prince of Nigeria Governor of South Dakota, and I have an investment opportunity of a lifetime ..."

  12. Doctor Tarr
    Stop

    Not your device

    It's effectively a work device so it's up to the provider what their policy is. I have nothing personal on my work devices (phone, laptop, tablet) and would not visit TT or FB (I don't on my own either). YT is only rarely used and only for work purposes. I also have no expectation of privacy on any of my work equipment. It's simple - only use work devices for work.

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