Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order Friday barring the state from doing business with certain telecommunications companies owned or operated by “evil foreign governments.”
The order blocks deals with companies linked to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela, according to Noem’s office.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on February 25, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Additionally, Noem’s office said the order, known as Executive Order 2023-02, requires that “every government contract contain a clause certifying that the contractor has no ownership, influence or affiliation with those countries.” “.
“It is critical that we protect South Dakoto residents from evil foreign governments,” Noem said after signing the order, which will take effect next week. “This order ensures that these countries cannot use telecommunications or government contract procurement to gain access to critical government infrastructure and data.”
South Dakota governor bans Tiktok for state agencies, warning of security threat
“Maintaining the cybersecurity of the South Dakota state government is necessary to continue to serve the citizens of South Dakota,” the order reads. “The Chinese Communist Party has increasingly purchased vital agricultural land necessary for the nation’s food independence and real estate near critical infrastructure, such as B. Real estate near a military base in Grand Folks, North Dakota.”
Additionally, the order states that South Dakota is “home to critical infrastructure vital to national security” and that “cybersecurity vulnerabilities can result in real consequences for South Dakota residents.”
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“Countries like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have engaged in increasingly aggressive cyberattacks on United States assets, including financially motivated Iranian ransomware operations, Russian phishing attempts, Chinese targeted extractions of corporate data, cyberattacks on key… Ports since 2013 and cyber and physical targeting of power grid stations in Washington, North Carolina and other states in late 2022,” the order said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Getty Images)
Last November, Noem made headlines when she signed an executive order banning government agencies — or those who contract with them — from accessing Chinese social media app TikTok, and warned that the Chinese Communist Party is stealing information from users stolen.
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“She is disconnected from our networks. She is blocked by our servers. Any state employee, anyone contracting with the state of South Dakota, anyone using any of our systems will no longer be able to download or use this app because of the national security threat that it is,” Noem told Fox News at the time .
Accessing the app is a criminal offense, she said, adding TikTok poses a threat to the state of Mount Rushmore and the personal information of all South Dakotans, and by extension, Americans.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this article.