The recent banning by South Dakota of the Chinese social media app, TikTok, could be a harbinger of things to come for social media regulation and a broader resistance to Chinese media influence within the United States.
The Wall Street Journal points out that while South Dakota is only the second state, after Nebraska in 2020, to take such action against TikTok, there is mounting pressure from state governments to address the pernicious, and arguably addictive, social media app. The Journal cites similar orders or declarations made in South Carolina, Arkansas, and Maryland within days of South Dakota Governor Noem’s edict banning TikTok from state equipment.
While the new policy does not ban the app outright, it effectively forces many state institutions to end their use of the app, even for outreach and community engagement purposes aimed at younger citizens – the app’s core users.
South Dakota’s public universities are also in a bind over the new policy, as the order is vague as to what constitutes state-owned or -leased equipment. If it extends to university Wi-Fi networks, it could definitively kill TikTok at South Dakota colleges. That would have massive ramifications for student groups and organizations, many of which rely intensely on the app to communicate with members.
More broadly, what South Dakota and other states are doing, regarding TikTok, is the culmination of former President Trump’s decision to put the app, along with other Chinese technology companies (almost all of which are directly or indirectly owned by the Chinese government) on blast for a range of alleged abuses and dubious practices, such as malicious surveillance and suppressing even mild forms of dissent. Trump tried to have the app banned at a national level, but court action prevented that from happening early in President Biden’s term.
For those most concerned about TikTok and the issues associated with it, they could expect to see more of this state-level action as Congress once again moves into a period of divided power.
